
Class. 
Book 






THE 



Biographical Record 






WEBSTER COUNTY, 



IOWA. 



ILLUSTRATED. 



The people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve 
anything -worthy to be remembered with pride by remote generations. — Macaulay. 



CHICAGO 

The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. 
1002. 




Biography is the only true History. — Emerson. 

L people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors 

will nevei achieve anything worthy to be remembered with 

pride by remote generations. — Macaulay. 







PREFACE. 




HE greatest of English historians, Macaulay, and one of the most 
brilliant writers of the present century, has said : "The history of a 
country is best told in a record of the lives of its people." In con- 
formity with this idea, the Biographical Record has been prepared. 
Instead of going to musty records, and taking therefrom dry statistical 
matter that can be appreciated by but few, our corps of writers have 
gone to the people, the men and women who have, by their enterprise 
and industry, brought this county to a rank second to none among 
those comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life 
struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelligent 
public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the imitation 
of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and 
economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for securing 
an education, have become learned men and women, with an influence extending throughout 
the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of 
life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in 
every walk in life who have striven to succeed, and records how that success has usually 
crowned their efforts. It tells also of many, very many, who, not seeking the applause of the 
world, have pursued the " even tenor of their way," content to have it said of them, as Christ 
said of the woman performing a deed of mercy — " They nave done what they could." It 
tells how many, in the pride and strength of young manhood, left the plow and the anvil, the 
lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's 
call went forth valiantly " to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was 
restored and peace once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of every 
woman is a lesson that should not be lost upon those who follow after. 

Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from 
the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which 
would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work 
and every opportunity possible given to those represented to insure correctness in what has 
been written ; and the publishers flatter themselves that they give to their readers a work with 
few errors of consequence. In addition to biographical sketches, portraits of a number of 
representative citizens are given. 

The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume _ 
For this the publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some 
refused to give the information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. 
Occasionally some member of the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such 
opposition the support of the interested one would be withheld. In a few instances mer. 
never could be found, though repeated calls were made at their residence or place of business. 



May, 190?. 



The S. J- Clarke Publishing Co. 



^^^^^r^v^v^^z^^i^^^v^^^v^v^ 




GENERAL INDEX. 



Table of Contents, 
Introductory, 



Compendium of National Biography, 
Compendium of Local Biography, 



13 

223 



INDEX TO FART I. 



Compendium of National Biography. 



Biographical Sketches of National Celebrities. 



PAGE 

Abbott, Lyman 144 

Adams, Charles Kendall 143 

Adams, John 25 

Adams, John Quincy 61 

Agassiz, Louis J. R 137 

Alger, Russell A 173 

Allison, William B 131 

Allston, Washington 190 

Altgeld, John Peter 140 

Andrews, Elisha B 184 

Anthony, Susan B 62 

Armour, Philip D 62 

Arnold, Benedict 84 

Arthur, Chester Allen 168 

Astor, John Jacob 139 

Audubon, John James 166 

Bailey, James Montgomery... 177 

Bancroft, George 74 

Barnard, Frederick A. P 179 

Barnum, Phineas T 41 

Barrett, Lawrence 156 

Barton, Clara 209 

Bayard, Thomas Francis 200 

Beard, William H 196 

Beauregard, Pierre G. T 203 

Beecher, Henry Ward 26 

Bell, Alexander Graham 96 

Bennett, James Gordon 206 

Benton, Thomas Hart 53 

Bergh, Henry 160 

Bierstadt, Albert 197 

Billings, Josh 166 

Blaine, James Gillespie 22 

Bland, Richard Parks 106 



PAGE 

Boone, Daniel 36 

Booth, Edwin 51 

Booth, Junius Brutus 177 

Brice, Calvin S 181 

Brooks, Phillips 130 

Brown, John 51 

Brown, Charles Farrar 91 

Brush, Charles Francis 153 

Bryan, William Jennings 158 

Bryant, William Cullen 44 

Buchanan, Franklin 105 

Buchanan, James 128 

Buckner, Simon Boliver 188 

Burdette, Robert J 103 

Burr, Aaron Ill 

Butler, Benjamin Franklin .... 24 

Calhoun, John Caldwell 23 

Cameron, James Donald 141 

Cameron, Simon 141 

Cammack, Addison 197 

Campbell, Alexander 180 

Carlisle, John G 133 

Carnegie, Andrew 73 

Carpenter, Matthew Hale 17* 

Carson, Christopher (Kit). ... 86 

Cass, Lewis 110 

Cha=e, Salmon Portland 65 

Childs, George W 83 

Choate, Rufus 207 

Chaflin, Horace Brigham 107 

Clay, Henry 21 

Clemens, Samuel Langhorne. . 86 

Cleveland, Grover 174 

Clews, Henry 153 



PAGE. 

Clinton, DeWitt 110 

Colfax, Schuyler, 139 

Conklin, Alfred 32 

Conklin, Roscoe 32 

Cooley, Thomas Mclntyre... 140 

Cooper, James Fenimore 58 

Cooper, Peter 37 

Copely, John Singleton 191 

Corbin, Austin 205 

Corcoran, W. W 196 

Cornell, Ezra 161 

Cramp, William 189 

Crockett, David 76 

Cullom, Shelby Moore 116 

Curtis, George William 144 

Cushman, Charlotte 107 

Custer, George A 95 

Dana, Charles A 88 

"Danbury News Man" 177 

Davenport, Fanny.. 106 

Davis, Jefferson 24 

Debs, Eugene V 132 

Decatur, Stephen 101 

Deering, William 198 

Depew, Chauncey Mitchell... 209 

Dickinson, Anna 103 

Dickinson, Don M 139 

Dingley, Nelson, Jr 215 

Donnelly, Ignatius 161 

Douglas, Stephen Arnold 53 

Douglass, Frederick 43 

Dow, Neal 108 

Draper, John William 184 



TABLE OF CONTENTS— PART I 



PAGE 

Drexel, Anthony Joseph 124 

Dupont, Henry 198 

Edison, Thomas Alva 55 

Edmunds, George F 201 

Ellsworth, Oliver 1G8 

Emerson, Ralph Waldo 57 

Ericsson, John 127 

Evarts, William Maxwell 89 

Farragut, David Glascoe 80 

Field, Cyrus West 173 

Field, U'avid Dudley 126 

Field. Marshall 59 

Field, Stephen Johnson 216 

Fillmore, Millard 113 

Foote, Andrew Hull 176 

Foraker, Joseph B 143 

Forrest, Edwin 92 

Franklin, Benjamin 18 

Fremont, John Charles 29 

Fuller, Melville Weston 168 

Fulton, Robert 62 

Gage, Lyman J 71 

GaTlatml Alnert 112 

Garfield, James A .... 163 

Garrett, John Work 200 

Garrison, William Lloyd 50 

Gates, Horatio ....*. 70 

Gatling, Richard Jordan 116 

( leorge, Henry 203 

Gibbons, Cardinal James 209 

Gilmofe, Patrick Sarsfield 77 

Girard, Stephen 137 

Gough, John B 131 

Gould, Jay 52 

Gordon, John B 215 

Grant, Ulysses S 155 

Gray, Asa , 88 

Gray, Elisha 149 

Greeley, Adolphus W 142 

Greeley, Horace 20 

Greene, Nathaniel 69 

Gresham, Walter Quintin 183 

Hale, Edward Everett 79 

Hall, Charles Francis 167 

Hamilton, Alexander 31 

Hamlin, Hannibal 214 

Hampton, Wade 192 

Hancock, Winfield Scott 146 

Hanna, Marcus Alonzo 169 

Harris, Isham G 214 

Harrison, William Henry 87 

Harrison, Benjamin 182 

Harvard, John 129 

Havemeyer, John Craig 182 

Hawthorne, Nathaniel 135 

Hayes, Rutherford Birchard... 157 

Hendricks, Thomas Andrew. . 212 

Henry, Joseph 105 

Henrv, 'Patrick 83 

Hill, David Bennett 90 

Hobart, Garrett A 213 

Holmes, Oliver Wendell 206 

Hooker, Joseph 52 

Howe, Elias 130 

Howells, William Dean 104 



PAGE 

Houston, Sam 120 

Hughes, Archbishop John 157 

Hughitt, Marvin 159 

Hull, Isaac 169 

Huntington, Collis Potter 94 

Ingalls, John James 114 

Ingersoll, Robert G 85 

Irving, Washington 33 

Jackson, Andrew 71 

Jackson, " Stonewall " 67 

Jackson, Thomas Jonathan 67 

Jay, John 39 

Jefferson, Joseph 47 

Jefferson, Thomas 34 

Johnson, Andrew 145 

Johnson, Eastman 202 

Johnston, Joseph Eccleston... . 85 

Jones, James K .. 171 

Jones, John Paul 97 

Jones, Samuel Porter 115 

Kane, Elisha Kent 125 

Kearney, Philip 210 

Kenton, Simon 188 

Knox, John Jay 134 

Lamar, Lucius Q. C 201 

Lando'n, Melville D 109 

Lee, Robert Edward 38 

Lewis, Charles B 193 

Lincoln, Abraham 135 

Livermore, Mary Ashton 131 

Locke, David Ross 172 

Logan, John A 26 

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 37 

Longstreet, James 56 

Lowell, James Russell 104 

Mackay, John William 148 

Madison, lames 42 

Marshall, John 156 

Mather, Cotton 164 

Mather, Increase 163 

Maxim, Hiram S 194 

McClellan, George Brinton.... 47 

McCormick, Cyrus Hall 172 

McDonough, Com. Thomas.. . 167 

McKinley; William 217 

Meade, George Gordon 75 

Medill, Joseph 159 

Miles, Nelson A 176 

Miller, Cincinnatus Heine 218 

Miller, Joaquin 218 

Mills, Roger Quarles 211 

Monroe, ]ames 54 

Moody, Dwight L 207 

Moran, Thomas 98 

Morgan, John Pierpont 208 

Morgan, John T 216 

Morris, Robert 165 

Morse, Samuel F. B 124 

Morton, Levi P 142 

Morton, Oliver Perrv 215 

Motley, John Lathro'p 130 

"Nye, Bill" 59 

Nye, Edgar Wilson 59 



PAGE 

O'Conor, Charles 187 

Olney, Richard 133 

Paine, Thomas 147 

Palmer, John M 195 

Parkhurst, Charles Henry 160 

"Partington, Mrs." 202 

Peabody, George 170 

Peck, George W 187 

Peffer, William A 164 

Perkins, Eli 109 

Perry, Oliver Hazard 97 

Phillips, Wendell 30 

Pierce, Franklin 122 

Pingree, Hazen S 212 

Plant, Henry B 192 

Poe, Edgar Allen 69 

Polk, James Knox 102 

Porter, David Dixon 6S 

Porter, Noah 93 

Prentice, George Denison. . . 119 

Prescott, William Hickling. .. 96 
Pullman, George Mortimer.. .. 121 

Quad, M 193 

Quay MatthewS 171 

Randolph, Edmund 136 

Read, Thomas Buchanan 132 

Reed, Thomas Brackett 208 

Reid, Whitelaw 149 

Roach, John 190 

Rockefeller, John Davison.... 195 

Root, George Frederick 218 

RothermeK Peter F 113 

Rutledge, John 57 

Sage, Russell 211 

Schofield, John McAllister 199 

Schurz, Carl 201 

Scott, Thomas Alexander 204 

Sett, Winfield 79 

Seward, William Henry .... 44 

Sharon, William 165 

Shaw, Henry W 166 

Sheridan, Phillip Henry 40 

Sherman, Charles R 87 

Sherman, John ... ... 86 

Shillaber, Benjamin Penhallow 202 

Sherman, William Tecumseh.. 30 

Smith, Edmund Kirby 114 

Sousa, John Philip 60 

Spreckels, Claus 159 

Stanford, Leland 101 

Stanton, Edwin McMasters . 179 

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady 126 

Stephens, Alexander Hamilton 32 

Stephenson, Adlai Ewing... . 141 

Stewart, Alexander T 58 

Stewart, William Morris 213 

Stowe, Harriet Elizabeth 

Beecher 66 

Stuart, James K. B 122 

Sumner, Charles 34 

Talmage, Thomas DeWitt . . 60 

Taney, Roger Bror '.- 129 

Tavlor, Zacharv 108 

Teller, Henrv M 127 



TABLE OF CONTENTS— PART I 



PAGE 

Tesla, Nikola 193 

Thomas, George H 73 

Tin ■mas, Theodore 172 

Thurman, Allen G 90 

Thurston, John M 106 

Tilden, Samuel J 48 

Tillman, Benjamin Ryan 119 

Toombs, Robert 205 

"Twain, Mark" 86 

Tyler, John 93 

Van Buren, Martin 78 

Vanderbilt, Cornelius 35 

Vail, Alfred 154 

Vest, George Graham 214 



PAGE 

Vilas, William Freeman 140 

Voorhees, Daniel Wolsey 95 

Waite, Morrison Remich 125 

Wallace, Lewis 199 

Wallack, Lester 121 

Wallack, John Lester 121 

Wanamaker, John 89 

Ward, "Artemus " 91 

Washburne, Elihu Benjamin. . 189 

Washington, George 17 

\\ atson, Thomas £ 178 

Watterson, Henry 76 

Weaver, James B 123 

Webster, 'Daniel 19 



PAGE 

Webster, Noah 49 

Weed, Thurlow 91 

West, Benjamin 115 

Whipple, Henry Benjamin. . . . 161 

White, Stephen V 162 

Whitefield, George 150 

Whitman, Walt 197 

Whitney, Eli 120 

Whitney, William Collins 92 

Whittier, John Greenleaf 67 

Willard, Frances E 133 

Wilson, William L 180 

Winchell, Alexander 175 

Windom, William 138 



PORTRAITS OF NATIONAL CELEBRITIES. 



PAGE 

Alger, Russell A 16 

Allison, William B 99 

Anthonv, Susan B 63 

Armour, Philip D 151 

Arthur, Chester A 81 

Barnum, Phineas T 117 

Beecher, Henry Ward 27 

Blaine, James G 151 

Booth, Edwin 63 

Bryan, Wm. J 63 

Bryant, William Cullen 185 

Buchanan, James 81 

Buckner, Simon B 16 

Butler Benjamin F 151 

Carlisle, John G 151 

Chase, Salmon P 16 

Childs, George W 99 

Clay, Henry 81 

Cleveland, Grover 45 

Cooper, Peter 99 

Dana, Charles A 151 

Depew, Chauncey M 117 

Douglass, Fred 63 

Emerson, Ralph Waldo 27 

Evarts, William M 99 

Farragut, Com. D. G 185 

Field, Cyrus W 63 



PAGE 

Field, Marshall 117 

Franklin, Benjamin 63 

Fremont, Gen. John C 16 

Gage, Lyman J 151 

Garfield, James A 45 

Garrison, William Lloyd 63 

George, Henry 117 

Gould, Jay 99 

Grant, Gen. U. S 185 

Greeley, Horace 81 

Hampton, Wade 16 

Hancock, Gen. Winfield S. . .. 185 

Hanna, Mark A 117 

Harrison, Benjamin 81 

Hayes, R. B 45 

Hendricks, Thomas A 81 

Holmes, Oliver W 151 

Hooker, Gen. Joseph 16 

Ingersoll, Robert G 117 

Irving, Washington 27 

Jackson, Andrew 45 

Jefferson, Thomas 45 

Johnston, Gen. J. E 16 

Lee, Gen. Robert E 185 

Lincoln, Abraham 81 

Logan, Gen. John A 16 

Longfellow, Henry W 185 



PAGE 

Longstreet, Gen. James 16 

Lowell, James Russell 27 

Mckinley, William 45 

Morse, S. F. B 185 

Philiips, Wendell 27 

Porter, Com. D. D 185 

Pullman, George M 117 

Quay, M. S 99 

Reed, Thomas B 151 

Sage, Russell 117 

Scott, Gen. Winfield 185 

Seward, William H 45 

Sherman, John 99 

Sherman, Gen. W. T. 151 

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady 27 

Stowe, Harriet Beecher 27 

Sumner, Charles 45 

Talmage, T. DeWitt 63 

Teller, Henry M 99 

Thurman, Alien G 81 

Tilden, Samuel J 117 

Van Buren, Martin 81 

Vanderbilt, Commodore 99 

Webster, Daniel 27 

Whittier, John G 21 

Washington, George 45 

Watterson, Henry 63 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Allen. M. II C75 

Anderson, Abe 630 

Anderson, A. G 689 

Anderson, Andrew 662 

Anderson, E. L 453 

Anderson, Johan 353 

Anderson, J. A 610 

Anderson, il. F 504 

Anderson. M. F., D. D. S 603 

Andrew-. M. H 692 

Andrews. Mary H 614 

Arent. Andrew 267 

Arnold. Christopher 436 

Bailey. M. J 411 

Baldwin, H. 528 

Bass, .lames 575 

Bell, Isaac 330 

Bilst'ad, T. S 4s4 

Plai I . I'.. F 56g 

blain, R. W 329 

Bl nlierg, John 660 

Brakke. J. P 429 

Burnett, Cyrus 304 

Burns. Ji ihn 704 

Byer, Ant. in 499 

Cahill. 'I homas 324 

Carpenter. C. C 230 

Carr. Henry }s7 

Carver. W. F., M. D 412 

Chinburg, S. I.. D. I). S 3-* 

Christen-on. Carl • 605 

Qvristenson, Rev. I. A 314 

Churchill. C. 11.. M. D 447 

Churchill, E. A 471 

Coffin, L. S ->-',!, 

1 lolburn, E. E 6S3 

Golby, Charles 292 

Colby. W. H. H. & Brother.... 338 

Conklin, J. E 526 

Coomber, George 440 

1 li 'i n. \ , Ji ihn 725 

Corey, Sila- 544 

Cram. John 668 

Crandall, \\\ B 553 

Crimins, Timothy .512 

( Irouse, \. .1 623 

Daniels, Ufred 580 

Daniels, C. X* 629 



PAGE 

Daniel- Daniel 298 

Daniel-. D. D 667 

Daniels. D. M 546 

Daniels. J. E 672 

Daniels, Sarah E 372 

Daniels. \Y. W 65] 

Daniel-011. Mr-. Hattie 500 

Dayton, Frank '178 

Dodge. C A 519 

Dolliver. J. P 238 

1 >onahi ie, Thomas 438 

Douglass. A. C 483 

Dowd, F. A -74 

Dowd, W. V 244 

Drake. F. B 430 

I 'tin. 1 imbe, J F 250 

Dutcher, \Y. H 506 

Easley, F. E .v* 

Erickson, C. E. . .' 707 

Erickson, Louis 342 

I wing, W. S 608 

Fallon. Henry 540 

Fallon. John 319 

Fawkes, Francis 462 

Fidilick. Frank 403 

Findlay, J. L 708 

Flattery, Robert 272 

Flickinger, Christian 626 

Flower, G. W 39° 

Freed, G. \ 663 

Frosland. L. K 4'7 

Gabrielson, C. A 634 

Gabrielson, John 665 

i.ilirul-on. Cj. A 564 

Gatarielson, Victor 325 

Garmoe, Isaac 257 

lates, C. L 396 

'.ill. J. B 38? 

Girdey, Sherman 727 

jirdey, Henry 516 

Inch. \Y. C 418 

Grabenhorst, H. C 7-'.? 

: Irabenihi ir 1. W. II 302 

Granger. C. L 318 

1 rrayson, Benjamin 3-2 

Grebner, Frederick 7 1 - 

1 ,1 . isenbaugh. Augusl 3 ' 1 

Guild. C. A 284 



PAGE 

' lustafson, G. A 588 

Guthrie, J. M 731 

Hamilton. J. L 702 

Hannon. Andrew 577 

Hannon, J. L 514 

Hannon, Nicholas 528 

Hannan. Robert ?J2 

Hanson, Amund 398 

Hardine. \V. K 242 

Hart, G [>.. M. I) 484 

Hart. X. H 636 

Hart. L. W 652 

Hastings. L. G 279 

Havler. Henry 385 

Hedlund, J. L 696 

Heffner, Samuel 404 

Heileman. Charles 586 

Heitkamp, L. H 482 

Herrington. S. W 513 

Hill, Daniel 552 

I 1!'. J P 2/ ) 

Houge. A. M 360 

Houge, CI 568 

\ndrew 443 

Huglin. Charles 716 

Hunter. R. P 464 

Hutchisi m, William 2-7 

IK -. Van 724 

tngalls. I. B 415 

Installs. T. B 416 

Intermill, Jacob 621 

Jaques, Theodore 636 

Johnson. A. B 595 

fohnson, Andrew 

Ibhnson, August 673 

fohnson, Augustus 525 

Johnsi 11. J P ''47 

fohnson, Swan 625 

Jones, Benjamin 505 

Karcher, Phillip 308 

Keefer, Hiram 377 

I 11 

Kinne'j . J. L 24X 

Knndson. Christopher 558 

i fi iin. Ir 326 

Is". II. Ji hu. Sr 296 

Kruckman, F. A 5& 



INDEX. 



Knsterer, J. F. 



PAGE 

•■ 379 



Larson. Bertel 472 

Larson, George 325 

Larson. P. L 388 

Lemon. G. C 6"0 

Le Valley, S. E 619 

Linn, Peter 687 

Lilyard, J. P 

Loehr, A. J ' 428 

1 1 mg, Lemuel 380 

Looby, John 371 

Low, E. E 424 

Lund R. S 587 

Lundblad, C. A 715 

Lungren, C. 1 611 

Mack. H. J 602 

Manchester, W. V 5.38 

Mapes, Perry 343 

Marsh. George >6o 

Marsh, G. W. 268 

Marsh, Tame-- 4,; 

Marsh. W. T 545 

McBane, Angus >o8 

McCarville, T. A 426 

McDonald. Michael 4.30. 

McGuire. Franklin 282 

McGuire, W. R ,301 

McMahon, George '282 

Meservey, S. T 365 

1 . \V. X '30 3 

Mitchell. \V. L 557 

Mortimer. R. T 530 

Mulroney, J. M 359 

Munn, William 402 

Musburger, George .354 

Nelsi hi. Elias 537 

Nelson, H. E., M. D 606 

Nelson, J. 384 

Neudeck. L. \V '3 >o 

Nicholson, W. L., M. D. 266 

NlXOn, J. A :;, 

' lldheime, Jonas 004 

1 Hney, R E., M D 694 

< »lney, S. B., M. D 693 

< )'Li mglilin. John 371 



PAGE 

Palmer, A. E 492 

Payne, G. H 337 

Payne. F. E 520 

Pearsons, G. R 480 

Peterson, B. E 205 

Peterson, I). A 671 

Petersi in, F. G 401 

Peterson, Rasmus 565 

Petersen, Thomas 508 

Pingel. Charles 313 

Porter. E. D 650 

Powers, J. E 291 

Prall. A. A., M. D 695 

Pratt. C. S 680 

Putzke, August 613 

Putzke, Fred 7,30 

Quick. Richard 470 

Rasmussen, N. C 728 

Redman, fohn 594 

Reed. O. L 648 

Remington. Rev. C. H 281 

Reynolds, A. S. R 34S 

Reynolds, C. H 521 

Rhoades, A J 004 

Rhoades, G. F 050 

Richey, S. B 490 

Risk. David 351 

Rol fe. E. A 709 

I. R 237 

Rose, H., M. D 713 

Ryan. Rev. Father 396 



Sanborn. H. W 259 

Sayli James 491 

Scallv. Patrick 328 

Scroll. C. J .'36.3 

Rchmoker, Christian .30(1 

Schrader, Carl 668 

Schram, William 477 

Scleichhardt. G. C 4.37 

Scott, A. \V 703 

Sen. F T 721 

Sheerer. Henry 295 

Sheldon, O. A 614 

Sheldon. Ole 612 

Smith. L. Y 698 



PAGE 

Snyder. ( rodfrey 714 

Solso, C. M. . . 461 

Sniumcrville. Thomas 711 

Sorber, E. W 478 

Southard, Albert 042 

Sperry, \Y. F 616 

Spirek, Anton 573 

Stegner, Martin 555 

Steven-. Charles 596 

Stine, A. L 366 

Stine, J I) 278 

Sin niiii.Tg, A 729 

Suer, Bernard 632 

Swanson, C. A...* 674 

Tapper. C. M 593 

I aj J ir, Erwin 448 

Thissell, J. F 2S.3 

Thomas, Z. \Y 446 

Tomlinson, C. S 609 

Toohey, James 697 

Urelius, J. P 



469 

Vandevender, D. \Y 633 

Vandevender, J. H 258 

Vandevender, John ;66 

Van Osdoll, W. J 327 

Vinsand, A. A , 691 

Waterbury, C. D 706 

Weaver. W. R 532 

Weiss. F. E 387 

Welch, James 529 

Welch. J. W 58S 

Weller, D. A 307 

Widick, Henry 444 

Widick, W. H. 687 

Wilkinson, A. A 456 

Willey, Henry 579 

Williamson, Ole 297 

W !. 1 Hiver 510 

Woodard, D. D 710 

Woodard, Mrs. Ella 554 

Wooddle, E. L 620 

Wrede, William 657 

Yungclas, G. F 688 



Zuerrer, Rev. E 558 




L«iV9i=^ 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



Celebrated Americans 



rEORGE WASHINGTON, 

[ the first president of the Unit- 
l ed States, called the "Father 
of his Country," was one of 
the most celebrated characters 
in history. He was born Feb- 
ruary 22, 1732, in Washing- 
ton Parish, Westmoreland county, Virginia. 
His father, Augustine Washington, first 
married Jane Butler, who bcre him four 
children, and March t, 1730, he married 
Mary Ball. Of six children by his second 
marriage, George was the eldest. 

Little is known of the early years of 
Washington, beyond the fact that the house 
in which he was born was burned during his 
early childhood, and that his father there- 
upon moved to another farm, inherited from 
his paternal ancestors, situated in Stafford 
county, on the north bank of the Rappahan- 
nock, and died there in 1743. From earliest 
childhood George developed a noble charac- 
ter. His education was somewhat defective, 
being confined to the elementary branches 
taught him by his mother and at a neighbor- 
ing school. On leaving school he resided 
some time at Mount Vernon with his half 




brother, Lawrence, who acted as his guar, 
dian. George's inclinations were for a sea- 
faring career, and a midshipman's warrant 
was procured for him; but through the oppo- 
sition of his mother the project was aban- 
doned, and at the ags of sixteen he was 
appointed surveyor to the immense estates 
of the eccentric Lord Fairfax. Three years 
were passed by Washington in a rough fron- 
tier life, gaining experience which afterwards 
proved very esse'itial to him. In 175 1, 
when the Virginia militia were put under 
training with a view to active service against 
France, Washington, though only nineteen 
years of age, was appointed adjutant, with 
the rank of major. In 1752 Lawrence 
Washington died, leaving his large property 
to an infant daughter. In his will George 
was named one of the executors and as an 
eventual heir to Mount Vernon, and by the 
death of the infant niece, soon succeeded to 
that estate. In 1753 George was commis- 
sioned adjutant-general of the Virginia 
militia, and performed important work at 
the outbreak of the French and Indian 
war, was rapidly promoted, and at the close of 
that war we find him commander-in-chief of 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



all the forces raised in Virginia. A cessation 
of Indian hostilities on the frontier having 
followed the expulsion of the French from 
the Ohio, he resigned his commission as 
commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces, 
and then proceeded to Williamsburg to take 
his seat in the Virginia Assembly, of which 
he had been elected a member. 

January 17, 1759, Washington married 
Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Curtis, a young 
and beautiful widow of great wealth, and 
devoted himself for the ensuing fifteen years 
to the quiet pursuits of agriculture, inter- 
rupted only by the annual attendance in 
winter upon the colonial legislature at 
Williamsburg, until summoned by his coun- 
try to enter upon that other arena in which 
his fame was to become world-wide. The 
war for independence called Washington 
into service again, and he was made com- 
mander-in-chief of the colonial forces, and 
was the most gallant and conspicuous figure 
in that bloody struggle, serving until Eng- 
land acknowledged the independence of 
each of the thirteen States, and negotiated 
with them jointly, as separate sovereignties. 
December 4, 1783, the great commander 
took leave of his officers in most affection- 
ate and patriotic terms, and went to An- 
napolis, Maryland, where the congress of 
the States was in session, and to that body, 
when peace and order prevailed everywhere, 
resigned his commission and retired to 
Mount Vernon. 

It was in 1789 that Washington was 
called to the chief magistracy of the na- 
tion. The inauguration took place ' April 
30, in the presence of an immense multi- 
tude which had assembled to witness the new 
and imposing ceremony. In the manifold de- 
tails of his civil administration Washington 
proved himself fully equal to the requirements 
of his position. In 1792, at the second presi- 



dential election, Washington was desirous 
to retire; but he yielded to the general wish 
of the country, and was again chosen presi- 
dent. At the third election, in 1796, he 
was again most urgently entreated to con- 
sent to remain in the executive chair. This 
he positively refused, and after March 4, 
1797, he again retired to Mount Vernon 
for peace, quiet, and repose. 

Of the call again made on this illustrious 
chief to quit his repose at Mount Ver- 
non and take command of all the United 
States forces, with rank of lieutenant-gen- 
eral, when war was threatened with France 
in 1798, nothing need here be stated, ex- 
cept to note the fact as an unmistakable 
testimonial of the high regard in which he 
was still held by his countrymen of all 
shades of political opinion. He patriotic- 
ally accepted this trust, but a treaty of 
peace put a stop to all action under it. He 
again retired to Mount Vernon, where he 
died December 14, 1799, in the sixty-eighth 
year of his age. His remains were depos- 
ited in a family vault on the banks of the 
Potomac, at Mount Vernon, where they still 
lie entombed. 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, an eminent 
American statesman and scientist, was 
born of poor parentage, January 17, 1706, 
in Boston, Massachusetts. He was appren- 
ticed to his brother James to learn the print- 
er's trade to prevent his running away and 
going to sea, and also because of the numer- 
ous family his parents had to support (there 
being seventeen children, Benjamin being 
the fifteenth). He was a great reader, and 
soon developed a taste for writing, and pre- 
pared a number of articles and had them 
published in the paper without his brother's 
knowledge, and when the authorship be- 
came known it resulted in difficulty for tne 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



JO 



young apprentice, although his articles had 
been received with favor by the public. 
James was afterwards thrown into prison for 
political reasons, and young Benjamin con- 
ducted the paper alone during the time. In 
1823, however, he determined to endure his 
bonds no longer, and ran away, going to 
Philadelphia, where he arrived with only 
three pence as his store of wealth. With 
these he purchased three rolls, and ate them 
as he walked along the streets. He soon 
found employment as a journeyman printer. 
Two years later he was sent to England by 
the governor of Pennsylvania, and was 
promised the public printing, but did not get 
it. On his return to Philadelphia he estab- 
lished the "Pennsylvania Gazette," and 
soon found himself a person of great popu- 
larity in the province, his ability as a writer, 
philosopher, and politician having reached 
the neighboring colonies. He rapidly grew 
in prominence, founded the Philadelphia Li- 
brary in 1S42, and two years later the 
American Philosophical Society and the 
University of Pennsylvania. He was made 
Fellow of the Royal Society in London in 
1775. His world-famous investigations in 
electricity and lightning began in 1746. He 
became postmaster-general of the colonies 
in 1753, having devised an inter-colonial 
postal system. He advocated the rights of 
the colonies at all times, and procured the 
repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. He was 
elected to the Continental congress of 1775, 
and in 1776 was a signer of the Declaration 
of Independence, being one of the commit- 
tee appointed to draft that paper. He rep- 
resented the new nation in the courts of 
Europe, especially at Paris, where his simple 
dignity and homely wisdom won him the 
admiration of the court and the favor of the 
people. He was governor of Pennsylvania 
tour years; was also a member of the con- 



vention in 1787 that drafted the constitution 
of the United States. 

His writings upon political topics, anti- 
slavery, finance, and economics, stamp him 
as one of the greatest statesmen of his time, 
while his "Autobiography" and "Poor 
Richard's Almanac " give him precedence in 
the literary field. In early life he was an 
avowed skeptic in religious matters, but 
later in life his utterances on this subject 
were less extreme, though he never ex- 
pressed approval of any sect or creed. He 
died in Philadelphia April 17, 1790. 



DANIEL WEBSTER.— Of world wide 
reputation for statesmanship, diplo- 
macy, and oratory, there is perhaps no more 
prominent figure in the history of our coun- 
try in the interval between 181 5 and 1861, 
than Daniel Webster. He was born at 
Salisbury (now Franklin), New Hampshire, 
January 18, 1782, and was the second son 
of Ebenezer and Abigail (Eastman) Webster. 
He enjoyed but limited educational advan- 
tages in childhood, but spent a few months 
in 1797, at Phillip Exeter Academy. He 
completed his preparation for college in the 
family of Rev. Samuel Wood, at Boscawen, 
and entered Dartmouth College in the fall 
of 1797. He supported himself most of the 
time during these years by teaching school 
and graduated in 1801, having the credit of 
being the foremost scholar of his class. He 
entered the law office of Hon. Thomas W. 
Thompson, at Salisbury. In 1S02 he con- 
tinued his legal studies at Fryeburg, Maine, 
where he was principal of the academy and 
copyist in .the office of the register of 
deeds. In the office of Christopher Gore, 
at Boston, he completed his studies in 
1804—5, an d w as admitted to the bar in the 
latter year, and at Boscawen and at Ports- 
mouth soon rose to eminence in his profes- 



20 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



sion. He became known as a federalist 
but did not court political honors; but, at- 
tracting attention by his eloquence in oppos- 
ing the war with England, he was elected 
to congress in 1812. During the special 
session of May, 181 3, he was appointed on 
the committee on foreign affairs and made 
his maiden speech June io, 1813. Through- 
out this session (as afterwards) he showed 
his mastery of the great economic questions 
of the day. He was re-elected in 18 14. In 
1 8 16 he removed to Boston and for seven 
years devoted himself to his profession, 
earning by his arguments in the celebrated 
"Dartmouth College Case" rank among 
the most distinguished jurists of the country. 
[n 1820 Mr. Webster was chosen a member 
of the state convention of Massachusetts, to 
revise the constitution. The same year he 
delivered the famous discourse on the "Pil- 
grim fathers," which laid the foundation for 
his fame as an orator. Declining a nomi- 
nation for United States senator, in 1822 he 
was elected to the lower house of congress 
and was re-elected in 1824 and 1826, but in 
1827 was transferred to the senate. He 
retained his seat in the latter chamber until 
1841. During this time his voice was ever 
lifted in defence of the national life and 
honor and although politically opposed to 
him he gave his support to the administra- 
tion of President Jackson in the latter's con- 
test with nullification. Through all these 
years he was ever found upon the side of 
eight and justice and his speeches upon all 
the great questions of the day have be- 
come household words in almost every 
family. In 1841 Mr. Webster was appointed 
secretary of state by President Harrison 
and was continued in the same office by 
President Tyler. While an incumbent of 
this office he showed consummate ability as 
a diplomat in the negotiation of the " Ash- 



burton treaty " of August 9, 1849, which 
settled many points of dispute between the 
United States and England. In May, 1843, 
he resigned his post and resumed his pro- 
fession, and in December, 1845, took his 
place again in the senate. He contributed 
in an unofficial way to the solution of the 
Oregon question with Great Britain in 1847. 
He was disappointed in 1848 in not receiv- 
ing the nomination for the presidency. He 
became secretary of state under President 
Fillmore in 1850 and in dealing with all the 
complicated questions of the day showed a 
wonderful mastery of the arts of diplomacy. 
Being hurt in an accident he retired to his 
home at Marshfield, where he died Octo- 
ber 24, 1852. 

HORACE GREELEY.— As journalist, 
author, statesman and political leader, 
there is none more widely known than the 
man whose name heads this article. He 
was born in Amherst, New Hampshire, Feb- 
ruary 3, 181 1, and was reared upon a farm. 
At an early age he evinced a remarkable 
intelligence and love of learning, and at 
the age of ten had read every book he could 
borrow for miles around. About 1821 the 
family removed to Westhaven, Vermont, 
and for some years young Greeley assisted 
in carrying on the farm. In 1826 he entered 
the office of a weekly newspaper at East 
Poultney, Vermont, where he remained 
about four years. On the disc6ntinuance 
of this paper he followed his father's 
family to Erie county, Pennsylvania, 
whither they bad moved, and for a time 
worked at the printer's trade in that neigh- 
borhood. In 1831 Horace went to New 
York City, and for a time found employ- 
ment as journeyman printer. January, 
1833, in partnership with Francis Story, he 
published the Morning Post, the first penny 



C OMPEXDIL 'M OP BIO GRA PHY 



■l\ 



paper ever printed. This proved a failure 
and was discontinued after three weeks. 
The business of job printing was carried on, 
however, until the death of Mr. Story in 
July following. In company with Jonas 
Winchester, March 22, 1834, Mr. Greeley 
commenced the publication of the New 
Yorker, a weekly paper of a high character. 
For financial reasons, at the same time, 
Greeley wrote leaders for other papers, and, 
in 1838, took editorial charge of the Jeffer- 
sonian, a Whig paper published at Albany. 
In 1840, on the discontinuance of that sheet, 
he devoted his energies to the Log Cabin, a 
campaign paper in the interests of the Whig 
party. In the fall of 1841 the latter paper 
was consolidated with the New Yorker, un- 
der the name of the Tribune, the first num- 
ber of which was issued April 10, 1841. At 
the head of this paper Mr. Greeley remained 
until the day of his death. 

In 1848 Horace Greeley was elected to 
the national house of representatives to 
fill a vacancy, and was a member of that 
bodyuntil March 4, 1849. In 1851 he went 
to Europe and served as a juror at the 
W 7 orld's Fair at the Crystal Palace, Lon- 
don. In 1855, he made a second visit to 
the old world. In 1859 he crossed the 
plains and received a public reception at 
San Francisco and Sacramento. He was a 
member of the Republican national con- 
vention, at Chicago in i860, and assisted in 
the nomination of Abraham Lincoln for 
President. The same year he was a presi- 
dential elector for the state of New York, 
and a delegate to the Loyalist convention 
at Philadelphia. 

At the close of the war, in 1865, Mr. 
Greeley became a strong advocate of uni- 
versal amnesty and complete pacification, 
and in pursuance of this consented to be- 
come one of the bondsmen for Jefferson 



Davis, who was imprisoned for treason. In 
1867 he was a delegate to the New York 
state convention for the revision of the 
constitution. In 1870 he was defeated for 
congress in the Sixth New York district. 
At the Liberal convention, which met in 
Cincinnati, in May, 1872, on the fifth ballot 
Horace Greeley was nominated for presi- 
dent and July following was nominated for 
the same office by the Democratic conven- 
tion at Baltimore. He was defeated by a 
large majority. The large amount of work 
done by him during the campaign, together 
with the loss of his wife about the same 
time, undermined his strong constitution, 
and he was seized with inflammation of the 
brain, and died November 29, 1872. 

In addition to his journalistic work, Mr. 
Greeley was the author of several meritori- 
ous works, among which were: "Hints 
toward reform," "Glances at Europe," 
" History of the struggle for slavery exten 
sion," "Overland journey to San Francis 
co," "The American conflict," and " Rec- 
ollections of a busy life." 



HENRY CLAY.— In writing of this em- 
inent American, Horace Greeley once 
said: "He was a matchless party chief, an 
admirable orator, a skillful legislator, wield- 
ing unequaled influence, not only over his 
friends, but even over those of his political 
antagonists who were subjected to the magic 
of his conversation and manners. " A law- 
yer, legislator, orator, and statesman, few 
men in history have wielded greater influ- 
ence, or occupied so prominent a place in 
the hearts of the generation in which they 
lived. 

Henry Clay was born near Richmond, 
in Hanover county, Virginia, April 12, 
1777, the son of a poor Baptist preacher 
who died when Henry was but five years 



22 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



old. The mother married again about ten 
years later and lemoved to Kentucky leav- 
ing Henry a clerk in a store at Richmond. 
Soon afterward Henry Clay secured a posi- 
tion as copyist in the office of the clerk of the 
high court of chancery, and four years later 
entered the law office of Robert Brooke, 
then attorney general and later governor of 
his native state. In 1797 Henry Clay was 
licensed as a lawyer and followed his mother 
to Kentucky, opening an office at Lexington 
and soon built up a profitable practice. 
Soon afterward Kentucky, in separating from 
Virginia, called a state convention for the 
purpose of framing a constitution, and Clay 
at that time took a prominent part, publicly 
urging the adoption of a clause providing 
for the abolition of slavery, but in this he 
was overruled, as he was fifty years later, 
when in the height of his fame he again ad- 
vised the same course when the state con- 
stitution was revised in 1850. Young Clay 
took a very active and conspicuous part in 
the presidential campaign in 1S00, favoring 
the election of Jefferson; and in 1803 was 
chosen to represent Fayette county in the 
state legislature. In 1806 General John 
Adair, then United States senator from 
Kentucky, resigned and Henry Clay was 
elected to fill the vacancy by the legislature 
and served through one session in which he 
at once assumed a prominent place. In 
1807 he was again a representative in the 
legislature and was elected speaker of the 
house. At this time originated his trouble 
with Humphrey Marshall. Clay proposed 
that each member clothe himself and family 
wholly in American fabrics, which Marshall 
characterized as the " language of a dema- 
gogue." This led to a duel in which both 
parties were slightly injured. In 1809 
Henry Clay was again elected to fill a va- 
cancy in the United States senate, and two 



years later elected representative in the low- 
er house of congress, being chosen speaker 
of the house. About this time warwas de- 
clared against Great Britain, and Clay took 
a prominent public place during this strug- 
gle and was later one of the commissioners 
sent to Europe by President Madison to ne- 
gotiate peace, returning in September, 181 5, 
having been re-elected speaker of the 
house during his absence, and was re-elect- 
ed unanimously. He was afterward re- 
elected to congress and then became secre- 
tary of state under John Quincy Adams. 
In 1 83 1 he was again elected senator from 
Kentucky and remained in the senate most 
of the time until his death. 

Henry Clay was three times a candidate 
for the presidency, and once very nearly 
elected. He was the unanimous choice of 
the Whig party in 1844 for the presidency, 
and a great effort was made to elect him 
but without success, his opponent, James K. 
Polk, carrying both Pennsylvania and New 
York by a very slender margin, while either 
of them alone would have elected Clay. 
Henry Clay died at Washington June 29, 
1852. 

TAMES GILLESPIE BLAINE was one 
J of the most distinguished of American 
statesmen and legislators. He was born 
January 31, 1830, in Washington county, 
Pennsylvania, and received a thorough edu- 
cation, graduating at Washington College in 
1847. In early life he removed to Maine 
and engaged in newspaper work, becoming 
editor of the Portland ' 'Advertiser. " While 
yet a young man he gained distinction as a 
debater and became a conspicuous figure in 
political and public affairs. In 1862 he was 
elected to congress on the Republican ticket 
in Maine and was re-elected five times. In 
March, 1869, he was chosen speaker of the 



COMPENDIUM OF BI0GRAPH2'. 



23 



house of representatives and was re-elected 
in 1S71 and again in 1873. In 1876 he was 
a representative in the lower house of con- 
gress and during that year was appointed 
United States senator by the Governor to 
fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of 
Senator Morrill, who had been appointed 
secretary of the treasury. Mr. Blaine 
served in the senate until March 5, 1 88 1 , 
when President Garfield appointed him sec- 
retary of state, which position he resigned 
in December, 1881. Mr. Blaine was nom- 
inated for the presidency by the Republic- 
ans, at Chicago in June, 1884, but was de- 
feated by Grover Cleveland after an exciting 
and spirited campaign. During the later 
years of his life Mr. Blaine devoted most of 
his time to the completion of his work 
"Twenty Years in Congress," which had a 
remarkably large sale throughout the United 
States. Blaine was a man of great mental 
ability and force of character and during the 
latter part of his life was one of the most 
noted men of his time. He was the origina- 
torof what is termed the " reciprocity idea" 
in tariff matters, and outlined the plan of 
carrying it into practical effect. In 1876 
Robert G. Ingersoll in making a nominating 
speech placing Blaine's name as a candidate 
for president before the national Republican 
convention at Cincinnati, referred to Blaine 
as the " Plumed Knight " and this title clung 
to him during the remainder of his life. His 
death occurred at Washington, January 27, 
1893- 

JOHN CALDWELL CALHOUN, a dis- 
tinguished American statesman, was a 
native of South Carolina, born in Abbeville 
district, March 18, 1782. He was given 
the advantages of a thorough education, 
graduating at Yale College in 1804, and 
adopted the calling of a lawyer. A Demo- 



crat politically, at that time, he took a fore- 
most part in the councils of his party and 
was elected to congress in iSri, supporting 
the tariff of 18 16 and the establishing of 
the United States Bank. In 18 17 he be- 
came secretary of war in President Monroe's 
cabinet, and in 1824 was elected vice-president 
of the United States, on the ticket with John 
Quincy Adams, and re-elected in 1 828, on the 
ticket with General Jackson. Shortly after 
this Mr. Calhoun became one of the strongest 
advocates of free trade and the principle of 
sovereignty of the states and was one of 
the originators of the doctrine that "any 
state could nullify unconstitutional laws of 
congress." Meanwhile Calhoun had be- 
come an aspirant for the presidency, and 
the fact that General Jackson advanced the 
interests of his opponent, Van Buren, led 
to a quarrel, and Calhoun resigned the vice- 
presidency in 1832 and was elected United 
States senator from South Carolina. It was 
during the same year that a convention was 
held in South Carolina at which the " Nul- 
lification ordinance " was adopted, the ob- 
ject of which was to test the constitution- 
ality of the protective tariff measures, and 
to prevent if possible the collection of im- 
port duties in that state which had been 
levied more for the purpose of ' ' protection " 
than revenue. This ordinance was to go 
into effect in February, 1833, and created a 
great deal of uneasiness throughout the 
country as it was feared there would be a 
clash between the state and federal authori- 
ties. It was in this' serious condition ot 
public affairs that Henry Clay came forward 
with the the famous "tariff compromise " 
of 1833, to which measure Calhoun and 
most of his followers gave their support and 
the crisis was averted. In 1S43 Mr. Cal- 
houn was appointed secretary of state in 
President Tyler's cabinet, and it was under 



24 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRATHT. 



his administration that the treaty concern- 
ing the annexation of Texas was negotiated. 
In 1845 he was re-elected to the United 
States senate and continued in the senate 
until his death, which occurred in March, 
j 8 50. He occupied a high rank as a scholar, 
student and orator, and it is conceded that 
he was one of the greatest debaters America 
has produced. The famous debate between 
Calhoun and Webster, in 1833, is regarded 
as the most noted for ability and eloquence 
in the history of the country. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BUTLER, one 
of America's most brilliant and pro- 
found lawyers and noted public men, was 
a native of New England, born at Deer- 
field, New Hampshire, November 5, 1818. 
His father, Captain John Butler, was a 
prominent man in his day, commanded a 
company during the war of 1812, and 
served under Jackson at New Orleans. 
Benjamin F. Butler was given an excellent 
education, graduated at Waterville College, 
Maine, studied law, was admitted to the 
bar in 1840, at Lowell, Massachusetts, 
where he commenced the practice of his 
profession and gained a wide reputation for 
his ability at the bar, acquiring an extensive 
practice and a fortune. Early in life he 
began taking an active interest in military 
affairs and served in the state militia through 
all grades from private to brigadier-general. 
In 1853 he was elected to the state legisla- 
ture on the Democratic ticket in Lowell, 
and took a prominent part in the passage of 
legislation in the interests of labor. Dur- 
ing the same year he was a member of the 
constitutional convention, and in 1S59 rep- 
resented his district in the Massachusetts 
senate. When the Civil war broke out 
General Butler took the field and remained 
at the front most of the time during that 



bloody struggle. Part of the time he had 
charge of Fortress Monroe, and in Febru- 
ary, 1862, took command of troops forming 
part of the expedition against New Orleans, 
and later had charge of the department of 
the Gulf. He was a conspicuous figure dur- 
ing the continuance of the war. After the 
close of hostilities General Butler resumed 
his law practice in Massachusetts and in 
1866 was elected to congress from the Es- 
sex district. In 1882 he was elected gov- 
ernor of Massachusetts, and in 1884 was the 
nominee of the " Greenback" party for 
president of the United States. He con- 
tinued his legal practice, and maintained his 
place as one of the most prominent men in 
New England until the time of his death, 
which occurred January 10, 1893. 



JEFFERSON DAVIS, an officer, states- 
man and legislator of prominence in 
America, gained the greater part of his fame 
from the fact that he was president of the 
southern confederacy. Mr. Davis was born 
in Christian county, Kentucky, June 3, 
1808, and his early education and surround- 
ings were such that his sympathies and in- 
clinations were wholly with the southern 
people. He received a thorough education, 
graduated at West 'Point in 1828. and for a 
number of years served in the army at west- 
ern posts and in frontier service, first as 
lieutenant and later as adjutant. In 1835 
he resigned and became a cotton planter in 
Warren county, Mississippi, where he took 
an active interest in public affairs and be- 
came a conspicuous figure in politics. In 
1844 he was a presidential elector from 
Mississippi and during the two following 
years served as congressman from his d ; s- 
trict. He then became colonel of a Missis- 
sippi regiment in the war with Mexico ano. 
participated in some of the most severe eat- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAP/IV. 



25 



ties, being seriously wounded at Buena 
Vista. Upon his return to private life he 
again took a prominent part in political af- 
fairs and represented his state in the United 
States senate from 1847 to 1851. He then 
entered President Pierce's cabinet as secre- 
tary of war, after which he again entered 
the United States senate, remaining until 
the outbreak of the Civil war. He then be- 
came president of the southern confederacy 
and served as such until captured in May, 
1865, at Irwinville, Georgia. He was held 
as prisoner of war at Fortress Monroe, until 
1867, when he was released on bail and 
finally set free in 1868. His death occurred 
December 6, 1889. 

Jefferson Davis was a man of excellent 
abilities and was recognized as one of the 
best organizers of his day. He was a 
forceful and fluent speaker and a ready 
writer. He wrote and published the " Rise 
and Fall of the Southern Confederacy," a 
work which is considered as authority by 
the southern people. 



JOHN ADAMS, the second president of 
the United States, and one of the most 
conspicuous figures in the early struggles of 
his country for independence, was born in 
the present town of Quincy, then a portion 
of Braintree, Massachusetts, October 30, 
1735. He received a thorough education, 
graduating at Harvard College in 1755, 
studied law and was admitted to the bar in 
1758. He was well adapted for this profes- 
sion and after opening an office in his native 
town rapidly grew in prominence and public 
favor and soon was regarded as one of the 
leading lawyers of the country. His atten- 
tion was called to political affairs by the 
passage of the Stamp Act, in 1765, and he 
drew up a set of resolutions on the subject 
which were very popular. In 1768 he re- 



moved to Boston and became one of the 
most courageous and prominent advocates 
of the popular cause and was chosen a 
member of the Colonial legislature from 
Boston. He was one of the delegates that 
represented Massachusetts in the first Con^ 
tinental congress, which met in September, 
1774. In a letter written at this crisis he 
uttered the famous words: "The die is now 
cast; I have passed the Rubicon. Sink or 
swim, live or die, survive or perish with my 
country, is my unalterable determination." 
He was a prominent figure in congress and 
advocated the movement for independence 
when a majority of the members were in- 
clined to temporize and to petition the King. 
In May, 1776, he presented a resolution in 
congress that the colonies should assume 
the duty of self-government, which was 
passed. In June, of the same year, a reso- 
lution that the United States "are, and of 
right ought to be, free and independent," 
was moved by Richard H. Lee, seconded by 
Mr. Adams and adopted by a small majority. 
Mr. Adams was a member of the committee 
of five appointed June 1 1 to prepare a 
declaration of independence, in support of 
which he made an eloquent speech. He was 
chairman of the Board of War in 1776 and 
in 1 778 was sent as commissioner to France, 
but returned the following year. In 1780 
he went to Europe, having been appointed 
as minister to negotiate a treaty of peace 
and commerce with Great Britain. Con- 
jointly with Franklin and Jay he negotiated 
a treaty in 1782. He was employed as a 
minister to the Court of St. James from 
1785 to 1788, and during that period wrote 
his famous " Defence of the American Con- 
stitutions." In 1789 he became vice-presi- 
dent of the United States and was re-elected 
in 1792. 

In 1796 Mr. Adams was chosen presi- 



26 



COMPENDIUM OF BTOGRAPHT. 



dent of the United States, his competitor 
being Thomas Jefferson, who became vice- 
president. In 1800 he was the Federal 
candidate for president, but he was not 
cordially supported by Gen. Hamilton, the 
favorite leader of his party, and was de- 
feated by Thomas Jefferson. 

Mr. Adams then retired from public life 
to his large estate at Quincy, Mass., where 
he died July 4, 1826, on the same day that 
witnessed the death of Thomas Jefferson. 
Though his physical frame began to give way 
many years before his death, his mental 
powers retained their strength and vigor to 
the last. In his ninetieth year he was glad- 
dened by .the elevation of his son, John 
Quincy Adams, to the presidential office. 



HENRY WARD BEECHER, one of the 
most celebrated American preachers 
and authors, was born at Litchfield, Connec- 
ticut, June 24, 18 1 3. His father was Dr. Ly- 
man Beecher, also an eminent divine. At 
an early age Henry Ward Beecher had a 
strong predilection for a sea-faring life, and 
it was practically decided that he would fol- 
low this inclination, but about this time, in 
consequence of deep religious impressions 
which he experienced during a revival, he 
renounced his former intention and decided 
to enter the ministry. After having grad- 
uated at Amherst College, in 1834, he stud- 
ied theology at Lane Seminary under the 
tuition of his father, who was then president 
of that institution. In 1847 he became pas- 
tor of the Plymouth Congregational church 
in Brooklyn, where his oratorical ability and 
original eloquence attracted one of the larg- 
est congregations in the country. He con- 
tinued to served this church until the time 
of his death, March 8, 1887. Mr. Beecher 
also found time for a great amount of liter- 
ary work. For a number of years he was 



editor of the "Independent" and also the 
"Christian Union." He also produced many 
works which are widely known. Among his 
principal productions are "Lectures to Young 
Men," " Star Papers, " "Life of Christ," 
"Life Thoughts," "Royal Truths" (a 
novel), "Norwood," " Evolution and Rev- 
olution," and " Sermons on Evolution and 
Religion." Mr. Beecher was also long a 
prominent advocate of anti-slavery princi- 
ples and temperance reform, and, at a later 
period, of the rights of women. 



JOHN A. LOGAN, the illustrious states- 
man and general, was born in Jackson 
county, Illinois, February 9, 1824. In his 
boyhood days he received but a limited edu- 
cation in the schools of his native county. 
On the breaking out of the war with Mexico 
he enlisted in the First Illinois Volunteers 
and became its quartermaster. At the close 
of hostilities he returned home and was 
elected clerk of the courts of Jackson county 
in 1849. Determining to supplement his 
education Logan entered the Louisville Uni- 
versity, from which he graduated in 1852 
and taking up the study of law was admitted 
to the bar. He attained popularity and suc- 
cess in his chosen profession and was elected 
to the legislature in 1852, 1853, 1856 and 
1857. He was prosecuting attorney from 
1853 to 1857. He was elected to congress 
in 1858 to fill a vacancy and again in i860. 
At the outbreak of the Rebellion, Logan re- 
signed his office and entered the army, and 
in September, 1861, was appointed colonel 
of the Thirty-first Illinois Infantry, which he 
led in the battles of Belmont and Fort Don- 
elson. In the latter engagement he was 
wounded. In March, 1862, he was pro- 
moted to be brigadier-general and in the 
following month participated in the battles 
of p ittsburg Landing. In November, 1862, 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



29 



f ji- gallant conduct he was made major-gen- 
ernl. Throughout the Vicksburg campaign 
he was in command of a division of the Sev- 
enteenth Corps and was distinguished at 
I'ort Gibson, Champion Kills and in the 
si ge and capture cf Vicksburg. In October, 
1863, he was placed in command of the 
Fifteenth Corps, which he led with great 
credit. During the terrible conflict before 
Atlanta, July 22, 1864, on the death of 
General McPherson, Logan, assuming com- 
mand of the Army of the Tennessee, led it 
on to victory, saving the day by his energy 
and ability. He was shortly after succeeded 
by General O. O. Howard and returned to 
the command of his corps. He remained 
in command until the presidential election, 
when, feeling that his influence was needed 
at home he returned thither and there re- 
mained until the arrival of Sherman at Sa- 
vannah, when General Logan rejoined his 
command. In May, 1865, he succeeded 
General Howard at the head of the Army of 
the Tennessee. He resigned from the army 
in August, the same year, and in November 
was appointed minister to Mexico, but de- 
clined the honor. He served in the lower 
house of the fortieth and forty-first con- 
gresses, and was elected United States sena- 
tor from his native state in 1870, 1878 and 
1885. He was nominated for the vice-presi- 
dency in 1 884 on the ticket with Blaine, but 
was defeated. General Logan was the 
author of " The Great Conspiracy, its origin 
and history," published in 1885. He died 
at Washington, December 26, 1886. 



JOHN CHARLES FREMONT, the first 
Republican candidate for president, was 
born in Savannah, Georgia, January 21, 
181 3. He graduated from Charleston Col- 
lege (South Carolina) in 1830, and turned his 

attention to civil engineering. He was shortly 
2 



afterward employed in the department of 
government surveys on the Mississippi, and 
constructing maps of that region. He was 
made lieutenant of engineers, and laid be- 
fore the war department a plan for p ne- 
trating the Rocky Mountain regions, which 
was accepted, and in 1842 he set out upon 
his first famous exploring expedition and ex- 
plored the South Pass. He also planned an 
expedition to Oregon by a new route further 
south, but afterward joined his expedition 
with that of Wilkes in the region of the 
Great Salt Lake. He made a later expedi- 
tion which penetrated the Sierra Nevadas, 
and the San Joaquin and Sacramento river 
valleys, making maps of all regions explored. 
In 1845 he conducted the great expedi- 
tion which resulted in the acquisition of 
California, which it was believed the Mexi- 
can government was about to dispose of to 
England. Learning that the Mexican gov- 
ernor was preparing to attack the American 
settlements in his dominion, Fremont deter- 
mined to forestall him. The settlers rallied 
to his camp, and in June, 1846, he defeated 
the Mexican forces at Sonoma Pass, and a 
month later completely routed the governor 
and his entire army. The Americans at 
once declared their independence of Mexico, 
and Fremont was elected governor of Cali- 
fornia. By this time Commodore Stockton 
had reached the coast with instructions from 
Washington to conquer California. Fre- 
mont at once joined him in that effort, which 
resulted in the annexation of California with 
its untold mineral wealth. Later Fremont 
became involved in a difficulty with fellow 
officers which resulted in a court martial, 
and the surrender of his commission. He 
declined to accept reinstatement. He af- 
terward laid out a great road from the Mis- 
sissippi river to San Francisco, and became 
the first United States senator from Califor- 



80 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



nia, in 1849. In 1856 he was nominated 
by the new Republican party as its first can- 
didate for president against Buchanan, and 
received 114 electoral votes, out of 296. 

In 1 86 1 he was made major-general and 
placed in charge of the western department. 
He planned the reclaiming of the entire 
Mississippi valley, and gathered an army of 
thirty thousand men, with plenty of artil- 
lery, and was ready to move upon the con- 
federate General Price, when he was de- 
prived of his command. He was nominated 
for the presidency at Cincinnati in 1864, but 
withdrew. He was governor of Arizona in 
1878, holding the position four years. He 
was interested in an engineering enterprise 
looking toward a great southern trans-con- 
tinental railroad, and in his later years also 
practiced law in New York. He died July 1 3, 
1890. 

WENDELL PHILLIPS, the orator and 
abolitionist, and a conspicuous figure 
in American history, was born November 
29, 181 1, at Boston, Massachusetts. He 
received a good education at Harvard 
College, from which he graduated in 1831, 
and then entered the Cambridge Law School. 
After completing his course in that institu- 
tion, in 1833, he was admitted to the bar, 
in 1834, at Suffolk. He entered the arena 
of life at the time when the forces of lib- 
erty and slavery had already begun their 
struggle that was to culminate in the Civil 
war. William Lloyd Garrison, by his clear- 
headed, courageous declarations of the anti- 
slavery principles, had done much to bring 
about this struggle. Mr. Phillips was not a 
man that could stand aside and see a great 
struggle being carried on in the interest of 
humanity and look passively on. He first 
attracted attention as an orator in 1837, at 
a meeting that was called to protest against 



the murder of the Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy. 
The meeting would have ended in a few 
perfunctory resolutions had not Mr. Phillip? 
by his manly eloquence taken the meeting 
out of the hands of the few that were in- 
clined to temporize and avoid radical utter- 
ances. Having once started out in this ca- 
reer as an abolitionist Phillips never swerved 
from what he deemed his duty, and never 
turned back. He gave up his legal practice 
and launched himself heart and soul in the 
movement for the liberation of the slaves. 
He was an orator of very great ability and 
by his earnest efforts and eloquence he did 
much in arousing public sentiment in behalf 
of the anti-slavery cause — possibly more 
than any one man of his time. After the 
abolition of slavery Mr. Phillips was, if pos- 
sible, even busier than before in the literary 
and lecture field. Besides temperance and 
women's rights, he lectured often and wrote 
much on finance, and the relations of labor 
and capital, and his utterances on whatever 
subject always bore the stamp of having 
emanated from a master mind. Eminent 
ciitics have stated that it might fairly be 
questioned whether there has ever spoken 
in America an orator superior to Phillips. 
The death of this great man occurred Feb- 
ruary 4, 1884. 



WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN 
was one of the greatest generals that 
the world has ever produced and won im- 
mortal fame by that strategic and famous 
" march to the sea," in the war of the Re- 
bellion. He was born February 8, 1820, at 
Lancaster, Ohio, and was reared in the 
family of the Hon. Thomas Ewing, as his 
father died when he was but nine years of 
age. He entered West Point in 1836, was 
graduated from the same in 1840, and ap- 
pointed a second lieutenant in the Third 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRA.PHT. 



31 



Artillery. He passed through the various 
grades of the service and at the outbreak of 
the Civil war was appointed colonel of the 
Thirteenth Regular Infantry. A full history 
of General Sherman's conspicuous services 
would be to repeat a history of the army. 
He commanded a division at Shiloh, and 
was instrumental in the winning of that bat- 
tle, and was also present at the siege of Vicks- 
burg. On July 4, 1863, he was appointed 
brigadier-general of the regular army, and 
shared with Hooker the victory of Mission- 
ary Ridge. He was commander of the De- 
partment of the Tennessee from October 
27th until the appointment of General 
Grant as lieutenant-general, by whom he 
was appointed to the command of the De- 
partment of the Mississippi, which he as- 
sumed in March, 1864. He at once began 
organizing the army and enlarging his com- 
munications preparatory to his march upon 
Atlanta, which he started the same time of 
ihe beginning of the Richmond campaign by 
Grant. He started on May 6, and was op- 
posed by Johnston, who had fifty thousand 
men, but by consummate generalship, he 
captured Atlanta, on September 2, after 
several months of hard fighting and a severe 
loss of men. General Sherman started on 
his famous march to the sea November 15, 
1864, and by December 10 he was before 
Savannah, which he took on December 23. 
This campaign is a monument to the genius 
of General Sherman as he only lost 567 
men from Atlanta to the sea. After rest- 
ing his army he moved northward and occu- 
pied the following places: Columbia, 
Cheraw, Fayetteville, Ayersboro, Benton- 
ville, Goldsboro, Raleigh, and April 18, he 
accepted the surrender of Johnston's army 
on a basis of agreement that was not re- 
ceived by the Government with favor, but 
finally accorded Johnston the same terms as 



Lee was given by General Grant. He was 
present at the grand review at Washington, 
and after the close of the war was appointed 
to the command of the military division of 
the Mississippi; later was appointed lieu- 
tenant-general, and assigned to the military 
division of the Missouri. When General 
Grant was elected president Sherman became 
general, March 4, 1869, and succeeded to 
the command of the army. His death oc- 
curred February 14, 1891, at Washington. 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON, one of the 
most prominent of the early American 
statesmen and financiers, was born in Nevis, 
an island of the West Indies, January 11, 
1757, his father being a Scotchman and his 
mother of Huguenot descent. Owing to the 
death of his mother and business reverses 
which came to his father, young Hamilton 
was sent to his mother's relatives in Santa 
Cruz; a few years later was sent to a gram- 
mar school at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, 
and in 1773 entered what is now known as 
Columbia College. Even at that time he 
began taking an active part in public affairs 
and his speeches, pamphlets, and newspaper 
articles on political affairs of the day at- 
tracted considerable attention. In 1776 he 
received a captain's commission and served 
in Washington's army with credit, becoming 
aide-de-camp to Washington with rank of 
lieutenant-colonel. In 1781 he resigned his 
commission because of a rebuke from Gen- 
eral Washington. He next received com- 
mand of a New York battalion and partici- 
pated in the battle of Yorktown. After 
this Hamilton studied law, served several 
terms in congress and was a member of the 
convention at which the Federal Constitu- 
tion was drawn up. His work connected 
with " The Federalist " at about this time 
attracted much attention. Mr. Hamilton 



32 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



was chosen as the first secretary of the 
United States treasury and as such was the 
author of the funding system and founder of 
the United States Bank. In 1798 he was 
made inspector-general of the army with the 
rank of major-general and was also for a 
short time commander-in-chief. In 1804 
Aaron Burr, then candidate for governor of 
New York, challenged Alexander Hamilton 
to fight a duel, Burr attributing his defeat 
to Hamilton's opposition, and Hamilton, 
though declaring the code as a relic of bar- 
barism, accepted the challenge. They met 
at Weehawken, New Jersey, July 11, 1804. 
Hamilton declined to fire at his adversary, 
but at Burr's first fire was fatally wounded 
and died July 12, 1804. 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON STEPH- 
ENS, vice-president of the southern 
confederacy, a former United States senator 
and governor of Georgia, ranks among the 
great men of American history. He was born 
February 11, 18 12, near Crawfordsville, 
Georgia. He was a graduate of the Uni- 
versity of Georgia, and admitted to the bar 
in 1834. In 1837 he made his debut in 
political life as a member of the state house 
of representatives, and in 1841 declined the 
nomination for the same office; but in 1842 
he was chosen by the same constituency as 
state senator. Mr. Stephens was one of 
the promoters of the Western and Atlantic 
Railroad. In 1843 he was sent by his dis- 
trict to the national house of representatives, 
which office he held for sixteen consec- 
utive years. He was a member of the 
house during the passing of the Compromise 
Bill, and was one of its ablest and most 
active supporters. The same year (1850) 
Mr. Stephens was a delegate to the state 
convention that framed the celebrated 
" Georgia Platform," and was also a dele- 



gate to the convention that passed the ordi- 
nance of secession, though he bitterly op- 
posed that bill by voice and vote, yet he 
readily acquiesced in their decision after 
it received the votes of the majority of the 
convention. He was chosen vice-president 
of the confederacy without opposition, and 
in 1865 he was the head of the commis- 
sion sent by the south to the Hampton 
Roads conference. He was arrested after 
the fall of the confederacy and was con- 
fined in Fort Warren as a prisoner of state 
but was released on his own parole. Mr. 
Stephens was elected to the forty-third, 
forty-fourth, forty-fifth, forty-sixth and for- 
ty-seventh congresses, with hardly more than 
nominal opposition. He was one of the 
Jeffersonian school of American politics. 
He wrote a number of works, principal 
among which are: "Constitutional View 
of the War between the States," and a 
" Compendium of the History of the United 
States." He was inaugurated as governor 
of Georgia November 4th, 1882, but died 
March 4, 1883, before the completion of 
his term. 

ROSCOE CONKLING was one of the 
most noted and famous of American 
statesmen. He was among the most fin- 
ished, fluent and eloquent orators that have 
ever graced the halls of the American con- 
gress; ever ready, witty and bitter in de- 
bate he was at once admired and feared by 
his political opponents and revered by his 
followers. True to his friends, loyal to the 
last degree to those with whom his inter- 
ests were associated, he was unsparing to his 
foes and it is said "never forgot an injury." 
Roscoe Conkling was born at Albany, 
New York, on the 30th of October, 1829, 
being a son of Alfred Conkling. Alfred 
Conkling was also a native of New York, 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



33 



born at East Hampton, October 12, 1789, 
and became one of the most eminent law- 
yers in the Empire state; published several 
legal works; served a term in congress; aft- 
erward as United States district judge for 
Northern New York, and in 1852 was min- 
ister to Mexico. Alfred Conkling died in 
1874. 

Roscoe Conkling, whose name heads 
this article, at an early age took up the 
study of law and soon became successful and 
prominent at the bar. About 1846 he re- 
moved to Utica and in 1858 was elected 
mayor of that city. He was elected repre- 
sentative in congress from this district and 
was re-elected three times. In 1867 he was 
elected United States senator from the state 
of New York and was re-elected in 1873 
and 1879. In May, 1 88 1 , he resigned on 
account of differences with the president. 
In March, 1882, he was appointed and con- 
firmed as associate justice of the United 
States supreme court but declined to serve. 
His death occurred April 18, 1888. 



WASHINGTON IRVING, one of the 
most eminent, talented and popu- 
lar of American authors, was born in New 
York City, April 3, 1783. His father was 
William Irving, a merchant and a native of 
Scotland, who had married an English lady 
and emigrated to America some twenty 
years prior to the birth of Washington. 
Two of the older sons, William and Peter, 
were partially occupied with newspaper 
work and literary pursuits, and this fact 
naturally inclined Washington to follow 
their example. Washington Irving was given 
the advantages afforded by the common 
schools until about sixteen years of age 
when he began studying law, but continued 
to acquire his literary training by diligent 
perusal at home of the older English writers. 



When nineteen he made his first literary 
venture by printing in the ' ' Morning Chroni- 
cle," then edited by his brother, Dr. Peter 
Irving, a series of local sketches under the 
nom-de-plume of "Jonathan Oldstyle." In 
1804 he began an extensive trip through 
Europe, returned in 1806, quickly com- 
pleted his legal studies and was admitted to 
the bar, but never practiced the profession. 
In 1807 he began the amusing serial "Sal- 
magundi," which had an immediate suc- 
cess, and not only decided his future 
career but long determined the charac- 
ter of his writings. In 1808, assisted by 
his brother Peter, he wrote " Knickerbock- 
er's History of New York," and in 1810 an 
excellent biography of Campbell, the poet, 
After this, for some time, Irving's attention 
was occupied by mercantile interests, but 
the commercial house in which he was a 
partner failed in 18 17. In 18 14 he was 
editor of the Philadelphia " Analectic Maga- 
zine." About 1 8 1 8 appeared his "Sketch- 
Book, " over the nom-de-plume of ' 'Geoffrey 
Crayon," which laid the foundation of Ir- 
ving's fortune and permanent fame. This 
was soon followed by the legends of 
"Sleepy Hollow," and " Rip Van Winkle," 
which at once took high rank as literary 
productions, and Irving's reputation was 
firmly established in both the old and new 
worlds. After this the path of Irving was 
smooth, and his subsequent writings ap- 
peared with rapidity, including "Brace- 
bridge Hall," "The Tales of a Traveler," 
" History of the Life and Voyages of Chris- 
topher Columbus," "The Conquest of 
Granada," "The Alhambra," "Tour on 
the Prairies," "Astoria," "Adventures of 
Captain Bonneville," "Wolfert's Roost," 
" Mahomet and his Successors," and "Life 
of Washington," besides other works. 

Washington Irving was never married. 



34 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



He resided during the closing years of his 
life at Sunnyside (Tarrytown) on the Hud- 
son, where he died November 28, 1859. 



CHARLES SUMNER.— Boldly outlined 
on the pages of our history stands out 
the rugged figure of Charles Sumner, states- 
man, lawyer and writer. A man of unim- 
peachable integrity, indomitable will and 
with the power of tireless toil, he was a fit 
leader in troublous times. First in rank as 
an anti-slavery leader in the halls of con- 
gress, he has stamped his image upon the 
annals of his time. As an orator he took 
front rank and, in wealth of illustration, 
rhetoric and lofty tone his eloquence equals 
anything to be found in history. 

Charles Sumner was born in Boston, 
Massachusetts, January 6, 181 1, and was 
the son of Charles P. and Relief J. Sumner. 
The family had long been prominent in that 
state. Charles was educated at the Boston 
Public Latin School; entered Harvard Col- 
lege in 1826, and graduated therefrom in 
1830. In 1 83 1 he joined the Harvard Law 
School, then under charge of Judge Story, 
and gave himself up to the study of law 
with enthusiasm. His leisure was devoted 
to contributing to the American Jurist. Ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1834 he was appointed 
reporter to the circuit court by Judge Story. 
He published several works about this time, 
and from 1835 to 1837 and again in 1843 
was lecturer in the law school. He had 
planned a lawyer's life, but in 1845 he gave 
his attention to politics, speakingand working 
against the admission of Texas to the Union 
and subsequently against the Mexican war. 
In 1848 he was defeated for congress on the 
Free Soil ticket. His stand on the anti- 
slavery question at that time alienated both 
friends and clients, but he never swerved 
from his convictions. In 1851 he was elected 



to the United States senate and took his 
seat therein December 1 of that year. From 
this time his life became the history of the 
anti-slavery cause in congress. In August, 
1852, he began his attacks on slavery by a 
masterly argument for the repeal of the 
fugitive slave law. On May 22, 1856, Pres- 
ton Brooks, nephew of Senator Butler, of 
South Carolina, made an attack upon Mr. 
Sumner, at his desk in the senate, striking 
him over the head with. a heavy cane. The 
attack was quite serious in its effects and 
kept Mr. Sumner absent from his seat in the 
senate for about four years. In 1857, 1863 
and 1869 he was re-elected to the office of 
senator, passing some twenty-three years in 
that position, always advocating the rights 
of freedom and equity. He died March II, 
1874- 

THOMAS JEFFERSON, the third pres- 
ident of the United States, was born 
near Charlottesville, Albemarle county, Vir- 
ginia, April 13, 1743, and was the son of 
Peter and Jane (Randolph) Jefferson. He 
received the elements of a good education, 
and in 1760 entered William and Mary Col- 
lege. After remaining in that institution for 
two years he took up the study of law with 
George Wythe, of Williamsburg, Virginia, 
one of the foremost lawyers of his day, and 
was admitted to practice in 1767. He ob- 
tained a large and profitable practice, which 
he held for eight years. The conflict be- 
tween Great Britain and the Colonies then 
drew him into public life, he having for 
some time given his attention to the study 
of the sources of law, the origin of liberty 
and equal rights. 

Mr. Jefferson was elected to the Virginia 
house of burgesses in 1769, and served in 
that body several years, a firm supporter of 
liberal measures, and, although a slave- 



coMPExnnwr of biography. 



35 



holder himself, an opponent of slavery. 
With others, he was a leader among the op- 
position to the king. He took his place as 
a member of the Continental congress June 
21, 1775, and after serving on several com- 
mittees was appointed to draught a Declara- 
tion of Independence, which he did, some 
corrections being suggested by Dr. Franklin 
and John Adams. This document was pre- 
sented to congress June 28, 1776, and after 
six days' debate was passed and was signed. 
In the following September Mr. Jefferson 
resumed his seat in the Virginia legislature, 
and gave much time to the adapting of laws 
of that state to the new condition of things. 
He drew up the law, the first ever passed by 
a legislature or adopted by a government, 
which secured perfect religious freedom. 
June 1, 1779, he succeeded Patrick Henry 
as governor of Virginia, an office which, 
after co-operating with Washington in de- 
fending the country, he resigned two years 
later. One of his own estates was ravaged 
by the British, and his house at Monticello 
was held by Tarleton for several days, and 
Jefferson narrowly escaped capture. After 
the death of his wife, in 1782, he accepted 
the position of plenipotentiary to France, 
which he had declined in 1776. Before 
leaving he served a short time in congress 
at Annapolis, and succeeded in carrying a 
bill for establishing our present decimal sys- 
tem of currency, one of his most useful pub- 
lic services. He remained in an official ca- 
pacity until October, 1789, and was a most 
active and vigilant minister. Besides the 
onerous duties of his office, during this time, 
he published "Notes on Virginia," sent to 
the United States seeds, shrubs and plants, 
forwarded literary and scientific news and 
gave useful advice to some of the leaders of 
the French Revolution. 

Mr. Jefferson landed in Virginia Novem- 



ber 18, 1789, having obtained a leave of 
absence from his post, and shortly after ac- 
cepted Washington's offer of the portfolio 
of the department of state in his cabinet. 
He entered upon the duties of his office in 
March, 1791, and held it until January 1, 
1794, when he tendered his resignation. 
About this time he and Alexander Hamilton 
became decided and aggressive political op- 
ponents, Jefferson being in warm sympathy 
with the people in the French revolution 
and strongly democratic in his feelings, 
while Hamilton took the opposite side. In 
1796 Jefferson was elected vice-president of 
the United States. In 1800 he was elected 
to the presidency and was inaugurated 
March 4, 1801. During his administration, 
which lasted for eight years, he having been 
re-elected in 1804, he waged a successful 
war against the Tripolitan pirates; purchased 
Louisiana of Napoleon; reduced the public 
debt, and was the originator of many wise 
measures. Declining a nomination for a 
third term he returned to Monticello, where 
he died July 4, 1826, but a few hours before 
the death of his friend, John Adams. 

Mr. Jefferson was married January 1, 
1772, to Mrs. Martha Skelton, a young, 
beautiful, and wealthy widow, who died 
September 6, 1782, leaving three children, 
three more having died previous to her 
demise. 

CORNELIUS VANDERBILT, known as 
"Commodore" Vanderbilt, was the 
founder of what constitutes the present im- 
mense fortune of the Vanderbilt family. He 
was born May 27, 1794, at Port Richmond, 
Staten Island, Richmond county, New 
York, and we find him at sixteen years run- 
ning a small vessel between his home and 
New York City. The fortifications of Sta- 
ten and Long Islands were just in course of 



86 



COMPENDIUM OP BIOGRAPHY. 



construction, and he carried the laborers 
from New York to the fortifications in his 
" perianger, " as it was called, in the day, 
and at night carried supplies to the fort on 
the Hudson. Later he removed to New 
York, where he added to his little fleet. At 
the age of twenty-three he was free from 
debt and was worth $9,000, and in 1817, 
with a partner he built the first steamboat 
that was run between New York and New 
Brunswick, New Jersey, and became her 
captain at a salary of $1,000 a year. The 
next year he took command of a larger and 
better boat and by 1824 he was in complete 
control of the Gibbon's Line, as it was 
called, which he had brought up to a point 
where it paid $40,000 a year. Commodore 
Vanderbilt acquired the ferry between New 
York and Elizabethport, New Jersey, on a 
fourteen years' lease and conducted this on 
a paying basis. He severed his connections 
with Gibbons in 1829 and engaged in 
business alone and for twenty years he was 
the leading steamboat man in the country, 
building and operating steamboats on the 
Hudson River, Long Island Sound, on the 
Delaware River and the route to Boston, 
and he had the monopoly of trade on these 
routes. In 1850 he determined to broaden 
his field of operation and accordingly built 
the steamship Prometheus and sailed for 
the Isthmus of Darien, where he desired to 
make a personal investigation of the pros- 
pects of the American Atlantic and Pacific 
Ship Canal Company, in which he had pur- 
chased a controlling interest. Commodore 
Vanderbilt planned, as a result of this visit, 
a transit route from Greytown on the At- 
lantic coast to San Juan del Sud on the Pa- 
cific coast, which was a saving of 700 miles 
over the old route. In 185 1 he placed three 
steamers on the Atlantic side and four on 
the Pacific side to accommodate the enor- 



mous traffic occasioned by the discovery of 
gold in California. The following year 
three more vessels were added to his fleet 
and a branch line established from New 
Orleans to Greytown. In 1853 the Com- 
modore sold out hisNicarauguaTransit Com- 
pany, which had netted him $[,000,000 
and built the renowned steam yacht, the 
"North Star." He continued in the ship- 
ping business nine years longer and accu- 
mulated some $10,000,000. In 1861 he 
presented to the government his magnifi- 
cent steamer " Vanderbilt, " which had cost 
him $800,000 and for which he received the 
thanks of congress. In 1844 he became 
interested in the railroad business which he 
followed in later years and became one of 
the greatest railroad magnates of his time. 
He founded the Vanderbilt University at a 
cost of $1,000,000. He died January 4, 
1877, leaving a fortune estimated at over 
$100,000,000 to his children. 



DANIEL BOONE was one of the most 
famous of the many American scouts, 
pioneers and hunters which the early settle- 
ment of the western states brought into 
prominence. Daniel Boone was born Feb- 
ruary 11, 1735, in Bucks county, Pennsyl- 
vania, but while yet a young man removed 
to North Carolina, where he was married. 
In 1769, with five companions, he pene- 
trated into the forests and wilds of Kentucky 
— then uninhabited by white men. He had 
frequent conflicts with the Indians and was 
captured by them but escaped and continued 
to hunt in and explore that region for over 
a year, when, in 177 1, he returned to his 
home. In the summer of 1773, he removed 
with his own and five other families into 
what was then the wilderness of Kentucky, 
and to defend his colony against the savages, 
he built, in 1775, a fort at Boonesborough, 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



Wi 



on the Kentucky river. This fort was at- 
tacked by the Indians several times in 1777, 
but they were repulsed. The following 
year, however, Boone was surprised and 
captured by them. They took him to De- 
troit and treated him with leniency, but he 
soon escaped and returned to his fort which 
he defended with success against four hun- 
dred and fifty Indians in August, 1778. His 
son, Enoch Boone, was the first white male 
child born in the state of Kentucky. In 
1795 Daniel Boone removed with his family 
to Missouri, locating about forty-five miles 
west of the present site of St. Louis, where 
he found fresh fields for his favorite pursuits 
— adventure, hunting, and pioneer life. His 
death occurred September 20, 1820. 



HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFEL- 
LOW, said to have been America's 
greatest "poet of the people," was born at 
Portland, Maine, February 27, 1807. He 
entered Bowdoin College at the age of four- 
teen, and graduated in 1825. During his 
college days he distinguished himself in mod- 
ern languages, and wrote several short 
poems, one of the best known of which was 
the "Hymn of the Moravian Nuns." After 
his graduation he entered the law office of 
his father, but the following year was offered 
the professorship of modern languages at 
Bowdoin, with the privilege of three years 
study in Europe to perfect himself in French, 
Spanish, Italian and German. After the 
three years were passed he returned to the 
United States and entered upon his profes- 
sorship in 1829. His first volume was a 
small essay on the "Moral and Devotional 
Poetry of Spain" in 1833. In 1835 ne pub- 
lished some prose sketches of travel under 
the title of " Outre Mer, a Pilgrimage be- 
yond the Sea." In 1835 he was elected to 
the chair of modern languages and literature 



at Harvard University and spent a year in 
Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, culti- 
vating a knowledge of early Scandinavian 
literature and entered upon his professor- 
ship in 1836. Mr. Longfellow published in 
1839 " Hyperion, a Romance," and "Voices 
of the Night, " and his first volume of original 
verse comprising the selected poems of 
twenty years work, procured him immediate 
recognition as a poet. " Ballads and other 
poems" appeared in 1842, the "Spanish 
Student " a drama in three acts, in 1843, 
"The Belfry of Bruges " in 1846, "Evan- 
geline, a Tale of Acadia," in 1847, which 
was considered his master piece. In 1845 
he published a large volume of the "Poets 
and Poetry of Europe," 1849 " Kavanagh, 
a Tale," ''The Seaside and Fireside" in 
1850, "The Golden Legend " in 185 1, "The 
Song of Hiawatha " in 1855, " The Court- 
ship of Miles Standish " in 1858, " Tales of 
a Wayside Inn " in 1863; " Flower de Luce'' 
in 1866;" "New England Tragedies" in 
1869; "The Divine Tragedy" in 1871; 
"Three Books of Song" in 1872; "The 
Hanging of the Crane " in 1874. He also 
published a masterly translation of Dante 
in 1867-70 and the " Morituri Salutamus," 
a poem read at the fiftieth anniversary of 
his class at Bowdoin College. Prof. Long- 
fellow resigned his chair at Harvard Univer- 
sity in 1854, but continued to reside at Cam- 
bridge. Some of his poetical works have 
been translated into many languages, and 
their popularity rivals that of the best mod- 
ern English poetry. He died March 24, 
1882, but has left an imperishable fame as 
one of the foremost of American poets. 



PETER COOPER was in three partic- 
ulars — as a capitalist and manufacturer, 
as an inventor, and as a philanthropist — 
connected intimately with some of the most 



38 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



important and useful accessions to the in- 
dustrial arts of America, its progress in in- 
vention and the promotion of educational 
and benevolent institutions intended for the 
benefit of people at large. He was born 
in New York city, February 12, 179 1. His 
iife was one of labor and struggle, as it was 
with most of America's successful men. In 
early boyhood he commenced to help his 
'ather as a manufacturer of hats. He at- 
tended school only for half of each day for 
a single year, and beyond this his acquisi- 
tions were all his own. When seventeen 
vears old he was placed with John Wood- 
ward to learn the trade of coach-making and 
served his apprenticeship so satisfactorily 
chat his master offered to set him up in busi- 
ness, but this he declined because of the 
debt and obligation it would involve. 

The foundation of Mr. Cooper's fortune 
was laid in the invention of an improvement 
in machines for shearing cloth. This was 
largely called into use during the war of 
18 1 2 with England when all importations 
of cloth from that country were stopped. 
The machines lost their value, however, on 
the declaration of peace. Mr. Cooper then 
turned his shop into the manufacture of 
cabinet ware. He afterwards went into the 
grocery business in New York and finally he 
engaged in the manufacture of glue and isin- 
glass which he carried on for more than 
fifty years. In 1830 he erected iron works 
in Canton, near Baltimore. Subsequently 
he erected a rolling and a wire mill in the 
city of New York, in which he first success- 
fully applied anthracite to the puddling of 
iron. In these works, he was the first to 
roll wrought-iron beams for fire-proof build- 
ings. These works grew to be very exten- 
sive, including mines, blast furnaces, etc. 
While in Baltimore Mr. Cooper built in 
1830, after his own designs, the first loco- 



motive engine ever constructed on this con- 
tinent and it was successfully operated on 
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He also 
took a great interest and invested large cap- 
ital in the extension of the electric telegraph, 
also in the laying of the first Atlantic cable; 
besides interesting himself largely in the 
New York state canals. But the most 
cherished object of Mr. Cooper's life was 
the establishment of an institution for the 
instruction of the industrial classes, which 
he carried out on a magnificent scale in New 
York city, where the "Cooper Union" 
ranks among the most important institu- 
tions. 

In May, 1876, the Independent party 
nominated Mr. Cooper for president of the 
United States, and at the election following 
he received nearly 100,000 votes. His 
death occurred April 4, 1883. 



GENERAL ROBERT EDWARD LEE, 
one of the most conspicuous Confeder- 
ate generals during the Civil war, and one 
of the ablest military commanders of mod- 
ern times, was born at Stratford House, 
Westmoreland county, Virginia, January 19, 
1807. In 1825 he entered the West Point 
academy and was graduated second in his 
class in 1829, and attached to the army as 
second lieutenant of engineers. For a 
number of years he was thus engaged in en- 
gineering work, aiding in establishing the 
boundary line between Ohio and Michigan, 
and superintended various river and harbor 
improvements, becoming captain of engi- 
neers in 1838. He first saw field service in 
the Mexican war, and under General Scott 
performed valuable and efficient service. 
In that brilliant campaign he was conspicu- 
ous for professional ability as well as gallant 
and meritorious conduct, winning in quick 
succession the brevets of major, lieutenant- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



39 



colonel, and colonel for his part in the bat- 
tles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Cherubusco, 
Chapultepec, and in the capture of the city 
Mexico. At the close of that war he re- 
sumed his engineering work in connection 
with defences along the Atlantic coast, and 
from 1852 to 1855 was superintendent of 
the Military Academy, a position which he 
gave up to become lieutenant-colonel of the 
Second Cavalry. For several years there- 
after he served on the Texas border, but 
happening to be near Washington at the 
time of John Brown's raid, October 17 to 
2 5. 1859, Colonel Lee was placed in com- 
mand of the Federal forces employed in its 
repression. He soon returned to his regi- 
ment in Texas where he remained the 
greater part of i860, and March 16, 1861, 
became colonel of his regiment by regular 
promotion. Three weeks later, April 25, he 
resigned upon the secession of Virginia, 
went at once to Richmond and tendered his 
services to the governor of that state, being 
by acclamation appointed commander-in- 
chief of its military and naval forces, with 
the rank of major-general. 

He at once set to work to organize and 
develop the defensive resources of his state 
and within a month directed the occupation 
in force of Manassas Junction. Meanwhile 
Virginia having entered the confederacy and 
Richmond become the capitol, Lee became 
one of the foremost of its military officers 
and was closely connected with Jefferson 
Davis in planning the moves of that tragic 
time. Lee participated in many of the 
hardest fought battles of the war among 
which were Fair Oaks, White Lake Swamps, 
Cold Harbor, and the Chickahominy, Ma- 
nassas, Cedar Run, Antietam, Fredericks- 
burg, Chancellorsville, Malvern Hill, Get- 
tysburg, the battles of the Wilderness cam- 
paign, all the campaigns about Richmond, 



Petersburg, Five Forks, and others. Lee's 
surrender at Appomatox brought the war to 
a close. It is said of General Lee that but 
few commanders in history have been so 
quick to detect the purposes of an opponent 
or so quick to act upon it. Never surpassed, 
if ever equaled, in the art of winning the 
passionate, personal love and admiration of 
his troops, he acquired and held an influ- 
ence over his army to the very last, founded 
upon a supreme trust in his judgment, pre- 
science and skill, coupled with his cool, 
stable, equable courage. A great writer has 
said of him: "As regards the proper meas- 
ure of General Lee's rank among the sol- 
diers of history, seeing what he wrought 
with such resources as he had, under all the 
disadvantages that ever attended his oper- 
ations, it is impossible to measure what he 
might have achieved in campaigns and bat- 
tles with resources at his own disposition 
equal to those against which he invariably 
contended." 

Left at the close of the war without es- 
tate or profession, he accepted the presi- 
dency of Washington College at Lexington, 
Virginia, where he died October 12, 1870. 



JOHN JAY, first chief-justice of the 
United States, was born in New York, 
December 12, 1745. He took up the study 
of law, graduated from King's College 
(Columbia College), and was admitted to 
the bar in 1768. He was chosen a member 
of the committee of New York citizens to 
protest against the enforcement by the 
British government of the Boston Port Bill, 
was elected to the Continental congress 
which met in 1774, and was author of the 
addresses to the people of Great Britian and 
of Canada adopted by that and the suc- 
ceeding congress. He was chosen to the 
provincial assembly of his own state, and 



to 



COMPENDIUM OF BI0GRAP1I1'. 



resigned from the Continental congress to 
serve in that body, wrote most of its public 
papers, including the constitution of the new 
state, and was then made chief-justice. He 
was again chosen as a member of the Con- 
tinental congress in 1778, and became presi- 
dent of that body. He was sent to Spain 
as minister in 1780, and his services there 
resulted in substantial and moral aid for the 
struggling colonists. Jay, Franklin, and 
Adams negotiated the treaty of peace with 
Great Britain in 1782, and Jay was ap- 
pointed secretary of foreign affairs in 1784, 
and held the position until the adoption of 
the Federal constitution. During this time 
he had contributed strong articles to the 
"Federalist" in favor of the adoption of 
the constitution, and was largely instru- 
mental in securing the ratification of that 
instrument by his state. He was appointed 
by Washington as first chief-justice of the 
United States in 1789. In this high capac- 
ity the great interstate and international 
questions that arose for immediate settle- 
ment came before him for treatment. 

In 1794, at a time when the people in 
gratitude for the aid that France had ex- 
tended to us, were clamoring for the privilege 
of going to the aid of that nation in her 
struggle with Great Britain and her own op- 
pressors, John Jay was sent to England as 
special envoy to negotiate a treaty with 
that power. The instrument known as 
"Jay's Treaty " was the result, and while 
in many of its features it favored our nation, 
yet the neutrality clause in it so angered the 
masses that it was denounced throughout 
the entire country, and John Jay was burned 
in effigy in the city of New York. The 
treaty was finally ratified by Washington, 
and approved, in August, 1795. Having 
been elected governor of his state for three 
consecutive terms, he then retired from 



active life, declining an appointment as 
chief-justice o f the supreme court, made by 
John Adams and confirmed by the senate. 
He died in New York in 1829. 



PHILLIP HENRY SHERIDAN was 
one of the greatest American cavalry 
generals. He was born March 6, 183 1, at 
Somerset, Perry county, Ohio, and was ap- 
pointed to the United States Military Acad- 
emy at West Point, from which he graduat- 
ed and was assigned to the First Infantry as 
brevet second lieutenant July 1, 1853. 
After serving in Texas, on the Pacific coast, 
in Washington and Oregon territories until 
the fall of 1 86 1, he was recalled to the 
states and assigned to the army of south- 
west Missouri as chief quartermaster from 
the duties of which he was soon relieved. 
After the battle of Pea Ridge, he was quar- 
termaster in the Corinth campaign, and on 
May 25 he was appointed colonel of the 
Second Michigan Cavalry. On July 1, in 
command of a cavalry brigade, he defeated 
a superior force of the enemy and was com- 
missioned brigadier-general of volunteers. 
General Sheridan was then transferred to 
the army of the Ohio, and commanded a 
division in the battle of Perrysville and also 
did good service at the battle of Murfrees- 
boro, where he was commissioned major- 
general of volunteers. He fought with 
great gallantry at Chickamauga, after which 
Rosecrans was succeeded by General Grant, 
under whom Sheridan fought the battle of 
Chattanooga and won additional renown. 
Upon the promotion of Grant to lieutenant- 
general, he applied for the transfer of Gen- 
eral Sheridan to the east, and appointed 
him chief of cavalry in the army of the 
Potomac. During the campaign of 1864 
the cavalry covered the front and flanks of 
the infantry until May 8, when it was witft 



COMTEXDIUM OF BIOGRA/'/n\ 



drawn and General Sheridan started on a 
raid against the Confederate lines of com- 
munication with Richmond and on May 25 
he rejoined the army, having destroyed con- 
siderable of the confederate stores and de- 
feated their cavalry under General Stuart at 
Yellow Tavern. The outer line of defences 
around Richmond were taken, but the sec- 
ond line was too strong to be taken by as- 
sault, and accordingly Sheridan crossed the 
Chickahominy at Meadow Bridge, reaching 
James River May 14, and thence by White 
House and Hanover Court House back to 
the army. The cavalry occupied Cold 
Harbor May 31, which they held until the 
arrival of the infantry. On General Sheri- 
dan's next raid he routed Wade Hampton's 
cavalry, and August 7 was assigned to the 
command of the Middle Military division, 
and during the campaign of the Shenan- 
doah Valley he performed the unheard of 
feat of " destroying an entire army." He 
was appointed brigadier-general of the reg- 
ular army and for his victory at Cedar Creek 
he was promoted to the rank of major-gen- 
eral. General Sheridan started out Febru- 
ary 27, 1865, with ten thousand cavalry 
and destroyed the Virginia Central Railroad 
and the James River Canal and joined the 
army again at Petersburg March 27. He 
commanded at the battle of Five Forks, the 
decisive victory which compelled Lee to 
evacuate Petersburg. On April 9, Lee tried 
to break through Sheridan's dismounted 
command but when the General drew aside 
his cavalry and disclosed the deep lines of 
infantry the attempt was abandoned. Gen- 
eral Sheridan mounted his men and was about 
to charge when a white flag was flown at the 
head of Lee's column which betokened the 
surrender of the army. After the war Gen- 
eral Sheridan had command of the army of 
the southwest, of the gulf and the depart- I 



ment of Missouri until he was appointed 
lieutenant-general and assigned to the di- 
vision of Missouri with headquarters at Chi- 
cago, and assumed supreme command of 
the army November 1, 1883, which post he 
held until his death, August 5, 1888. 



PHINEAS T. BARNUM, the greatest 
showman the world has ever seen, was 
born at Danbury, Connecticut, July 5, 18 10. 
At the age of eighteen years he began busi- 
ness on his own account. He opened a re- 
tail fruit and confectionery house, including 
a barrel of ale, in one part of an old car- 
riage house. He spent fifty dollars in fitting 
up the store and the stock cost him seventy 
dollars. Three years later he put in a full 
stock, such as is generally carried in a 
country store, and the same year he started 
a Democratic newspaper, known as the 
"Herald of Freedom." He soon found 
himself in jail under a sixty days' sentence 
for libel. During the winter of 1834-5 he 
went to New York and began soliciting busi- 
ness for several Chatham street houses. In 

1835 he embarked in the show business at 
Niblo's Garden, having purchased the cele- 
brated " Joice Heth" for one thousand dol- 
lars. He afterward engaged the celebrated 
athlete, Sig. Vivalia, and Barnum made his 
' ' first appearance on any stage, " acting as a 
"super" to Sig. Vivalia on his opening 
night. He became ticket seller, secretary 
and treasurer of Aaron Turner's circus in 

1836 and traveled with it about the country. 
His next venture was the purchase of a 
steamboat on the Mississippi, and engaged 
a theatrical company to show in the princi- 
pal towns along that river. In 1840 he 
opened Vaux Hall Garden, New York, with 
variety performances, and introduced the 
celebrated jig dancer, John Diamond, to the 
public. The next year he quit rhe show 



42 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGPAPlir. 



business and settled down in New York as 
agent of Sear's Pictorial Illustration of the 
Bible, but a few months later again leased 
Vaux Hall. In September of the same year 
he again left the business, and became 
' ' puff " writer for the Bowery Amphitheater. 
In December he bought the Scudder Museum, 
and a year later introduced the celebrated 
Tom Thumb to the world, taking him to 
England in 1844, and remaining there three 
years. He then returned to New York, and 
in 1849, through James Hall Wilson, he en- 
gaged the "Swedish Nightingale," Jenny 
Lind, to come to this country and make a 
tour under his management. He also had 
sent the Swiss Bell Ringers to America in 
1844. He became owner of the Baltimore 
Museum and the Lyceum and Museum at 
Philadelphia. In 1850 he brought a dozen 
elephants from Ceylon to make a tour of this 
country, and in 1851 sent the " Bateman 
Children" to London. During 1S51 and 
1852 he traveled as a temperance lecturer, 
and became president of a bank at Pequon- 
nock, Connecticut. In 1852 he started a 
weekly pictorial paper known as the " Illus- 
trated News." In 1865 his Museum was 
destroyed by fire, and he immediately leased 
the Winter Garden Theatre, where he played 
his company until he opened his own 
Museum. This was destroyed by fire in 
1868, and he then purchased an interest in 
the George Wood Museum. 

After dipping into politics to some ex- 
tent, he began his career as a really great 
showman in 1871. Three years later he 
erected an immense circular building in New 
York, in which he produced his panoramas. 
He has frequently appeared as a lecturer, 
some times on temperance, and some times 
on other topics, among which were ' ' Hum- 
bugs of the World," "Struggles and 
Triumphs," etc. He was owner of the im- 



mense menagerie and circus known as the 
"Greatest Show on Earth," and his fame 
extended throughout Europe and America. 
He died in 1891. 



JAMES MADISON, the fourth president 
o ( the United States, 1S09-17, was 
born at Port Conway, Prince George coun- 
ty, Virginia, March 16, 175 1. He was the 
son of a wealthy planter, who lived on a fine 
estate called " Montpelier," which was but 
twenty-five miles from Monticello, the home 
of Thomas Jefferson. Mr. Madison was the 
eldest of a family of seven children, all of 
whom attained maturity. He received his 
early education at home under a private 
tutor, and consecrated himself with unusual 
vigor to study. At a very early age he was 
a proficient scholar in Latin, Greek, French 
and Spanish, and in 1769 he entered Prince- 
ton College, New Jersey. He graduated in 
1 77 1, but remained for several months after 
his graduation to pursue a course of study 
under the guidance of Dr. Witherspoon. 
He permanently injured his health at this 
time and returned to Virginia in 1772, and 
for two years he was immersed in the study 
of law, and at the same time made extend- 
ed researches in theology, general literature, 
and philosophical studies. He then directed 
his full attention to the impending struggle 
of the colonies for independence, and also 
took a prominent part in the religious con- 
troversy at that time regarding so called 
persecution of other religious denominations 
by the Church of England. Mr. Madison 
was elected to the Virginia assembly in 1776 
and in November, 1777, he was chosen 
a member of the council of state. He took 
his seat in the continental congress in 
March, 1780. He was made chairman of 
the committee on foreign relations, and 
drafted an able memoranda for the use of 



com r i:\ni I'M of biography. 



43 



the American ministers to the French and 
Spanish governments, that established the 
claims of the republic to the territories be- 
tween the Alleghany Mountains and the 
Mississippi River. He acted as chairman of 
the ways and means committee in 1783 ar| d 
as a member of the Virginia legislature in 
1784-86 he rendered important services to 
the state. Mr. Madison represented Vir- 
giana in the national constitutional conven- 
tion at Philadelphia in 1787, and was one of 
the chief framers of the constitution. He 
was a member of the first four congresses, 
1789-97, and gradually became identified 
with the anti-federalist or republican party 
of which he eventually became the leader. 
He remained in private life during the ad- 
ministration of John Adams, and was secre- 
tary of state under President Jefferson. Mr. 
Madison administered the affairs of that 
post with such great ability that he was the 
natural successor of the chief magistrate 
and was chosen president by an electoral 
vote of 122 to 53. He was inaugurated 
March 4, 1809, at that critical period in our 
history when the feelings of the people were 
embittered with those of England, and his 
first term was passed in diplomatic quarrels, 
which finally resulted in the declaration of 
war, June 18, 1812. In the autumn of that 
year President Madison was re-elected by a 
vote of 128 to 89, and conducted the war 
for three years with varying success and 
defeat in Canada, by glorious victories at 
sea, and by the battle of New Orleans that 
was fought after the treaty of peace had 
been signed at Ghent, December 24, 18 14. 
During this war the national capitol at 
Washington was burned, and many valuable 
papers were destroyed, but the declaration 
of independence was saved to the country 
by the bravery and courage of Mr. Madi- 
son's illustrious wife. A commercial treaty 



was negotiated with Great Britain in 181 5, 
and in April, 1816, a national bank was in- 
corporated by congress. Mr. Madison was 
succeeded, March 4, 1 817, by James Monroe, 
and retired into private life on his estate at 
Montpelier, where he died June 28, 1836. 



FREDERICK DOUGLASS, a noted 
American character, was a protege of 
the great abolitionist, William Lloyd Garri- 
son, by whom he was aided in gaining his 
education. Mr. Douglass was born in Tuck- 
ahoe county, Maryland, in February, 18 17, 
his mother being a negro woman and his 
father a white man. He was born in slav- 
ery and belonged to a man by the name of 
Lloyd, under which name he went until he 
ran away from his master and changed it to 
Douglass. At the age of ten years he was 
sent to Baltimore where he learned to read 
and write, and later his owner allowed him 
to hire out his own time for three dollars a 
week in a shipyard. In September, 1838, 
he fled from Baltimore and made his way to 
New York, and from thence went to New 
Bedford, Massachusetts. Here he was mar- 
ried and supported himself and family by 
working at the wharves and in various work- 
shops. In the summer of 1841 he attended 
an anti-slavery convention at Nantucket, 
and made a speech which was so well re- 
ceived that he was offered the agency of the 
Massachusetts Anti-slavery Society. In this 
capacity he traveled through the New En- 
gland states, and about the same time he 
published his first book called ' ' Narrative 
of my Experience in Slavery." Mr. Doug- 
lass went to England in 1845 and lectured 
on slavery to large and enthusiastic audi- 
ences in all the large towns of the country, 
and his friends made up a purse of seven 
hundred and fifty dollars and purchased his 
freedom in due form of law. 



44 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



Mr. Douglass applied himself to the de- 
livery of lyceum lectures after the abolition 
of slavery, and in 1870 he became the editor 
of the " New National Era " in Washington. 
In 1 87 1 he was appointed assistant secretary 
of the commission to San Domingo and on 
his return he was appointed one of the ter- 
ritorial council for the District of Colorado 
by President Grant. He was elected presi- 
dential elector-at-large for the state of New 
York and was appointed to carry the elect- 
oral vote to Washington. He was also 
United States marshal for the District of 
Columbia in 1876, and later was recorder 
of deeds for the same, from which position 
he was removed by President Cleveland in 
1886. In the fall of that year he visited 
England to inform the friends that he had 
made while there, of the progress of the 
colored race in America, and on his return 
he was appointed minister to Hayti, by 
President Harrison in 1889. His career as 
a benefactor of his race was closed by his 
death in February, 1895, near Washington. 



WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT.— The 
ear for rhythm and the talent for 
graceful expression are the gifts of nature, 
and they were plentifully endowed on the 
above named poet. The principal charac- 
teristic of his poetry is the thoughtfulness 
and intellectual process by which his ideas 
ripened in his mind, as all his poems are 
bright, clear and sweet. Mr. Bryant was 
born November 3, 1794, at Cummington, 
Hampshire county, Massachusetts, and was 
educated at Williams College, from which 
he graduated, having entered it in 18 10. 
He took up the study of law, and in 181 5 
was admitted to the bar, but after practicing 
successfully for ten years at Plainfield and 
Great Barrington, he removed to New York 
in 1825. The following year he became 



the editor of the "Evening Post," which 
he edited until his death, and under his di- 
rection this paper maintained, through a 
long series of years, a high standing by the 
boldness of its protests against slavery be- 
fore the war, by its vigorous support of the 
government during the war, and by the 
fidelity and ability of its advocacy of the 
Democratic freedom in trade. Mr. Bry- 
ant visited Europe in 1834, 1845, 1849 and 
1857, and presented to the literary world 
the fruit of his travels in the series of "Let- 
ters of a Traveler," and "Letters from 
Spain and Other Countries." In the world 
of literature he is known chiefly as a poet, 
and here Mr. Bryant's name is illustrious, 
both at home and abroad. He contributed 
verses to the "Country Gazette " before he 
was ten years of age, and at the age of nine- 
teen he wrote " Thanatopsis, " the most im- 
pressive and widely known of his poems. 
The later outgrowth of his genius was his 
translation of Homer's "Iliad" in 1870 
and the "Odyssey" in 1871. He also 
made several speeches and addresses which 
have been collected in a comprehensive vol- 
ume called " Orations and Addresses." He 
was honored in many ways by his fellow 
citizens, who delighted to pay tributes of 
respect to his literary eminence, the breadth 
of his public spirit, the faithfulness of his 
service,' and the worth of his private char- 
acter. Mr. Bryant died in New York City 
June 12, 1878. 



WILLIAM HENRY SEWARD, the 
secretary of state during one of the 
most critical times in the history of our 
country, and the right hand man of Presi- 
dent Lincoln, ranks among the greatest 
statesmen America has produced. Mr. 
Seward was born May 16, 1S01, at Florida, 
Orange county, New York, and with such 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



17 



facilities as the place afforded he fitted him- 
self for a college course. He attended 
Union College at Schenectady, New York, 
at the age of fifteen, and took his degree in 
the regular course, with signs of promise in 
1S20, after which he diligently addressed 
himself to the study of law under competent 
instructors, and started in the practice of 
his profession in 1823. 

Mr. Seward entered the political arena 
and in 1828 we find him presiding over a 
convention in New York, its purpose being 
the nomination of John Quincy Adams for a 
second term. He was married in 1824 and 
in 1830 was elected to the state senate. 
From 1 8 38 to 1842 he was governor of the 
state of New York. Mr. Seward's next im- 
portant position was that of United States 
senator from New York. 

W. H. Seward was chosen by President 
Lincoln to fill the important office of the 
secretary of state, and by his firmness and 
diplomacy in the face of difficulties, he aided 
in piloting the Union through that period of 
strife, and won an everlasting fame. This 
great statesman died at Auburn, New York, 
October 10, 1872, in the seventy-second 
year of his eventful life. 



JOSEPH JEFFERSON, a name as dear 
as it is familiar to the theater-going 
world in America, suggests first of all a fun- 
loving, drink-ioving, mellow voiced, good- 
natured Dutchman, and the name of "Rip 
Van Winkle " suggests the pleasant features 
of Joe Jefferson, so intimately are play and 
player associated in the minds of those who 
have had the good fortune to shed tears of 
laughter and sympathy as a tribute to the 
greatness of his art. Joseph Jefferson was 
born in Philadelphia, February 20, 1829. 
His genius was an inheritance, if there be 

such, as his great-grandfather, Thomas 
3 



Jefferson, was a manager and actor in Eng 
land. His grandfather, Joseph Jeff 
was the most popular comedian of the New 
York stage in his time, and his father, Jos- 
eph Jefferson, the second, was a good actor 
also, but the third Joseph Jefferson out- 
shone them all. 

At the age of three years Joseph Jeffer- 
son came on the stage as the child in "Pi- 
zarro," and his training was upon the stage 
from childhood. Later on he lived and 
acted in Chicago, Mobile, and Texas. After 
repeated misfortunes he returned to New 
Orleans from Texas, and his brother-in-law, 
Charles Burke, gave him money to reach 
Philadelphia, where he joined the Burton 
theater company. Here his genius soon as- 
serted itself, and his future became promis- 
ing and brilliant. His engagements through- 
out the United States and Australia were 
generally successful, and when he went to 
England in 1865 Mr. Boucicault consented 
to make some important changes in his 
dramatization of Irving's story of Rip Van 
Winkle, and Mr. Jefferson at once placed 
it in the front rank as a comedy. He made 
a fortune out of it, and played nothing else 
for many years. In later years, however, 
Mr. Jefferson acquitted himself of the charge 
of being a one-part actor, and the parts of. 
"Bob Acres," "Caleb Plummer" and 
"Golightly " all testify to the versatility of 
his genius. 

GEORGE BRINTON McCLELLAN, 
a noted American general, was born 
in Philadelphia, December 3, 1826. He 
graduated from the University of Pennsyl- 
vania, and in 1846 from West Point, and 
was breveted second lieutenant of engineers. 
He was with Scott in the Mexican war, 
taking part in all the engagements from 
Vera Cruz to the final capture of the Mexi- 



48 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



can capital, and was breveted first lieuten- 
ant and captain for gallantry displayed on 
various occasions. In 1857 he resigned his 
commission and accepted the position of 
chief engineer in the construction of the 
Illinois Central Railroad, and became presi- 
dent of the St. Louis & Cincinnati Railroad 
Company. He was commissioned major- 
general by the state of Ohio in 1861, 
placed in command of the department of 
the Ohio, and organized the first volunteers 
called for from that state. In May he was 
appointed major-general in the United 
States army, and ordered to disperse the 
confederates overrunning West Virginia. 
He accomplished this task promptly, and 
received the thanks of congress. After the 
first disaster at Bull Run he was placed 
in command of the department of Wash- 
ington, and a few weeks later of the 
Army of the Potomac. Upon retirement 
of General Scott the command of the en- 
tire United States army devolved upon Mc- 
Clellan, but he was relieved of it within a 
few months. In March, 1862, after elabor- 
ate preparation, he moved upon Manassas. 
only to find it deserted by the Confederate 
army, which had been withdrawn to im- 
pregnable defenses prepared nearer Rich- 
mond. He then embarked his armies for 
Fortress Monroe and after a long delay at 
Yorktown, began the disastrous Peninsular 
campaign, which resulted in the Army of the 
Potomac being cooped up on the James 
River below Richmond. His forces were 
then called to the support of General Pope, 
near Washington, and he was left without an 
army. After Pope's defeat McClellan was 
placed in command of the troops for the de- 
fense of the capital, and after a thorough or- 
ganization he followed Lee into Maryland 
and the battles of Antietam and South Moun- 
tain ensued. The delay which followed 



caused general dissatisfaction, and he was re- 
lieved of his command, and retired from active 
service. 

In 1864 McClellan was nominated for 
the presidency by the Democrats, and over- 
whelmingly defeated by Lincoln, three 
states only casting their electoral votes for 
McClellan. On election day he resigned 
his commission and a few months later went 
to Europe where he spent several years. 
He wrote a number of military text- books 
and reports. His death occurred October 
29, 1885. 

SAMUEL J. TILDEN.— Among the great 
statesmen whose names adorn the pages 
of American history may be found that of 
the subject of this sketch. Known as a 
lawyer of highest ability, his greatest claim 
to immortality will ever lie in his successful 
battle against the corrupt rings of his native 
state and the elevation of the standard of 
official life. 

Samuel J. Tilden was born in New Leb- 
anon, New York, February 9, 18 14. He 
pursued his academic studies at Yale Col- 
lege and the University of New York, tak- 
ing the course of law at the latter. He 
was admitted to the bar in 1841. His rare 
ability as a thinker and writer upon public 
topics attracted the attention of President 
Van Buren, of whose policy and adminis- 
tration he became an active and efficient 
champion. He made for himself a high 
place in his profession and amassed quite a 
fortune as the result of his industry and 
judgment. During the days of his greatest 
professional labor he was ever one of the 
leaders and trusted counsellors of the Demo- 
cratic party. He was a member of the 
conventions to revise the state constitution, 
both in 1S46 and 1867, and served two 
terms in the lower branch of the state leg- 



COMl'EX niVM OF BIOGRAPHT, 



!'.' 



islature. He was one of the controlling 
spirits in the overthrow of the notorious 
" Tweed ring " and the reformation of the 
government of the city of New York. In 
1874 he was elected governor of the state 
of New York. While in this position he 
assailed corruption in high places, success- 
fully battling with the iniquitous "canal 
ring " and crushed its sway over all depart- 
ments of the government. Recognizing h-is 
character and executive ability Mr. Tilden 
was nominated for president by the na- 
tional Democratic convention in 18.76. At 
the election he received a much larger popu- 
lar vote than his opponent, and 184 uncon- 
tested electoral votes. There being some 
electoral votes contested, a commission ap- 
pointed by congress decided in favor of the 
Republican electors and Mr. Hayes, the can- 
didate of that party was declared elected. 
In 1880, the Democratic party, feeling that 
Mr. Tilden had been lawfully elected to the 
presidency tendered the nomination for. the 
same office to Mr. Tilden, but he declined, 
retiring from all public functions, owing to 
failing health. He died August 4, 1886. 
By will he bequeathed several millions of 
dollars toward the founding of public libra- 
ries in New York City, Yonkers, etc. 



NOAH WEBSTER.— As a scholar, law- 
yer, author and journalist, there is no 
one who stands on a higher plane, or whose 
reputation is better established than the 
honored gentleman whose name heads this 
sketch. He was a native of West Hartford, 
Connecticut, and was born October 17, 
1758. He came of an old New England 
family, his mother being a descendant of 
Governor William Bradford, of the Ply- 
mouth colony. After acquiring a solid edu- 
cation in early life Dr. Webster entered 
Yale College, from which he graduated in 



1778. For a while he taught school in 
Hartford, at the same time studying law. 
and was admitted to the bar in 17S1. He 
taught a classical school at Goshen, Orange 
county, New York, in 17S2-83, and while 
there prepared his spelling book, grammar 
and reader, which was issued under the title 
of "A Grammatical Institute of the English 
Language," in three parts, — so successful a 
work that up to 1876 something like forty 
million of the spelling books had been 
sold. In 1786 he delivered a course of lec- 
tures on the English language in the seaboard 
cities and the following year taught an 
academy at Philadelphia. From December 
17, 1787, until November, 1788, he edited 
the "American Magazine, "a periodical that 
proved unsuccessful. In 1789-93 he prac- 
ticed law in Hartford having in the former 
year married the daughter of William Green- 
leaf, of Boston. He returned to New York 
and November, 1793, founded a daily paper, 
the "Minerva," to which was soon added a 
semi-weekly edition under the name of the 
" Herald." The former is still in existence 
under the name of the "Commercial Adver- 
tiser." In this paper, over the signature of 
' ' Curtius , " he published a lengthy and schol- 
arly defense of " John Jay's treaty." 

In 1798, Dr. Webster moved to New 
Haven and in 1807 commenced the prepar- 
ation of his great work, the "American Dic- 
tionary of the English Language," which 
was not completed and published until 1828. 
He made his home in Amherst, Massachu- 
setts, for the ten years succeeding 1812, and 
was instrumental in the establishment of 
Amherst College, of which institution he was 
the first president of the board of trustees. 
During 1824-5 he resided in Europe, pursu- 
ing his philological studies in Paris. He 
completed his dictionary from the libraries 
of Cambridge University in 1S25, and de- 



50 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



voted his leisure for the remainder of his 
life to the revision of that and his school 
books. 

Dr. Webster was a member of the legis- 
latures of both Connecticut and Massachu- 
setts, was judge of one of the courts of the 
former state and was identified with nearly 
all the literary and scientific societies in the 
neighborhood of Amherst College. He died 
in New Haven, May 28, 1843. 

Among the more prominent works ema- 
nating from the fecund pen of Dr. Noah 
Webster besides those mentioned above are 
the following: "Sketches of American 
Policy," " Winthrop's Journal," " A Brief 
History of Epidemics," " Rights of Neutral 
Nations in time of War," "A Philosophical 
and Practical Grammar of the English Lan- 
guage," "Dissertations on the English 
Language," "A Collection of Essays," 
"The Revolution in France," "Political 
Progress of Britain," "Origin, History, and 
Connection of the Languages of Western 
Asia and of Europe," and many others. 



WfLLIAM LLOYD GARRISON, the 
great anti-slavery pioneer and leader, 
was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, 
December 12, 1804. He was apprenticed 
to the printing business, and in 1828 was in- 
duced to take charge of the "Journal of the 
Times" at Bennington, Vermont. While 
supporting John Quincy Adams for the presi- 
dency he took occasion in that paper to give 
expression of his views on slavery. These 
articles attracted notice, and a Quaker 
named Lundy, editor of the "Genius of 
Emancipation," published in Baltimore, in- 
duced him to enter a partnership with him 
for the conduct of his paper. It soon 
transpired that the views of the partners 
were not in harmony, Lundy favoring grad- 
ual emancipation, while Garrison favored 



immediate freedom. In 1850 Mr. Garrison 
was thrown into prison for libel, not being 
able to pay a fine of fifty dollars and costs. 
In his cell he wrote a number of poems 
which stirred the entire north, and a mer- 
chant, Mr. Tappan, of New York, paid his 
fine and liberated him, after seven weeks of 
confinement. He at once began a lecture 
tour of the northern cities, denouncing 
slavery as a sin before God, and demanding 
its immediate abolition in the name of re- 
ligion and humanity. He opposed the col- 
onization scheme of President Monroe and 
other leaders, and declared the right of 
every slave to immediate freedom. 

In 1 83 1 he formed a partnership with 
Isaac Knapp, and began the publication of 
the "Liberator" at Boston. The "imme- 
diate abolition " idea began to gather power 
in the north, while the south became 
alarmed at the bold utterance of this jour- 
nal. The mayor of Boston was besoughi 
by southern influence to interfere, and upon 
investigation, reported upon the insignifi- 
cance, obscurity, and poverty of the editor 
and his staff, which report was widely 
published throughout the country. Re- 
wards were offered by the southern states 
for his arrest and conviction. Later Garri- 
son brought from England, where an eman- 
cipation measure had just been passed, 
some of the great advocates to work for the 
cause in this country. In 1835 a mob 
broke into his office, broke up a meeting of 
women, dragged Garrison through the street 
with a rope around his body, and his life 
was saved only by the interference of the 
police, who lodged him in jail. Garrison 
declined to sit in the World's Anti-Slaverv 
convention at London in 1840, because 
that body had refused women representa- 
tion. He opposed the formation of a po- 
litical party with emancipation as its basis. 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



51 



He favored a dissolution of the union, and 
declared the constitution which bound the 
free states to the slave states " A covenant 
with death and an agreement with hell." 
In 1843 he became president of the Amer- 
ican Anti-Slavery society, which position he 
held until 1865, when slavery was no more. 
During all this time the " Liberator " had 
continued to promulgate anti-slavery doc- 
trines, but in 1865 Garrison resigned his 
position, and declared his work was com- 
pleted. He died May 24, 1879. 



JOHN BROWN ("Brown of Ossawato- 
mie"), a noted character in American 
history, wasbornatTorrington, Connecticut, 
May 9, 1800. In his childhood he removed 
to Ohio, where he learned the tanner's 
trade. He married there, and in 1855 set- 
tled in Kansas. He lived at the village of 
Ossawatomie in that state, and there began 
his fight against slavery. He advocated im- 
mediate emancipation, and held that the 
negroes of the slave states merely waited 
for a leader in an insurrection that would re- 
sult in their freedom. He attended the 
convention called at Chatham, Canada, in 
1859, and was the leading spirit in organiz- 
ing a raid upon the United States arsenal at 
Harper's Ferry, Virginia. His plans were 
well laid, and carried out in great secrecy. 
He rented a farm house near Harper's Ferry 
in the summer of 1859, and on October 
1 6th of that year, with about twenty follow- 
ers, he surprised and captured the United 
States arsenal, with all its supplies and 
arms. To his surprise, the negroes did not 
come to his support, and the next day he 
was attacked by the Virginia state militia, 
wounded and captured. He was tried in 
the courts of the state, convicted, and was 
hanged at Charlestown, December 2, 1859. 
The raid and its results had a tremendous 



effect, and hastened the culmination of the 
troubles between the north and south. The 
south had the advantage in discussing this 
event, claiming that the sentiment which 
inspired this act of violence was shared by 
the anti-slavery element of the country. 



EDWIN BOOTH had no peer upon the 
American stage during his long career 
as a star actor. He was the son of a famous 
actor, Junius Brutus Booth, and was born 
in 1833 at his father's home at Belair, near 
Baltimore. At the age of sixteen he made his 
first appearance on the stage, at the Boston 
Museum, in a minor part in " Richard III." 
It was while playing in California in 1851 
that an eminent critic called general atten- 
tion to the young actor's unusual talent. 
However, it was not until 1863, at the great 
Shakspearian revival at the Winter Garden 
Theatre, New York, that the brilliancy ol 
his career began. His Hamlet held the 
boards for 100 nights in succession, and 
from that time forth Booth's reputation was 
established. In 1868 he opened his own 
theatre (Booth's Theater) in New York. 
Mr. Booth never succeeded as a manager, 
however, but as an actor he was undoubted- 
ly the most popular man on the American 
stage, and perhaps the most eminent one in 
the world. In England he also won the 
greatest applause. 

Mr. Booth's work was confined mostly 
to Shakspearean roles, and his art was 
characterized by intellectual acuteness, 
fervor, and poetic feeling. His Hamlet, 
Richard II, Richard III, and Richelieu gave 
play to his greatest powers. In 1865, 
when his brother, John Wilkes Booths 
enacted his great crime, Edwin Booth re- 
solved to retire from the stage, but waspur- 
suaded to reconsider that decision. The 
odium did not in any way attach to the 



52 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPJIV. 



Kreat actor, and his popularity was not 
affected. In all his work Mr. Booth clung 
closely to the legitimate and the traditional 
in drama, making no experiments, and offer- 
ing little encouragement to new dramatic 
authors. His death occurred in New York, 
June 7, 1894. 



JOSEPH HOOKER, a noted American 
officer, was born at Hadley, Massachu- 
setts. November 13, 18 14. He graduated 
from West Point Military Academy in 1837, 
and was appointed lieutenant of artillery. 
He served in Florida in the Seminole war, 
and in garrison until the outbreak of the 
Mexican war. During the latter he saw 
service as a staff officer and was breveted 
captain, major and lieutenant-colonel for 
gallantry at Monterey, National Bridge and 
Chapultepec. Resigning his commission in 
1833 he took up farming in California, which 
he followed until 1861. During this time 
he acted as superintendent of military roads 
in Oreeon. At the outbreak of the Rebel- 
lion Hooker tendered his services to the 
government, and. May 17, 1861, was ap- 
pointed brigadier-general of volunteers. He 
served in the defence of Washington and on 
the lower Potomac until his appointment to 
the command of a division in the Third 
Corps, in March, 1862. For gallant con- 
duct at the siege of Yorktown and in the 
battles of Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Fra- 
zier's Farm and Malvern Hill he was made 
major-general. At the head of his division 
he participated in the battles of Manassas 
and Chantilly. September 6, 1862, he was 
placed at the head of the First Corps, and 
in the battles of South Mountain and An- 
tietam acted with his usual gallantry, being 
wounded in the latter engagement. On re- 
joining the army in November he was made 
brigadier-general in the regular army. On 



General Burnside attaining the command of 
the Army of the Potomac General Hooker 
was placed in command of the center grand 
division, consisting of the Second and Fifth 
Corps. At the head of these gallant men 
he participated in the battle of Fred- 
ericksburg, December 13, 1862. In Janu- 
ary, 1863, General Hooker assumed com- 
mand of the Army of the Potomac, and in 
May following fought the battle of Chan- 
cellorsville. At the time of the invasion of 
Pennsylvania, owing to a dispute with Gen- 
eral Halleck, Hooker requested to be re- 
lieved of his command, and June 28 was 
succeeded by George G. Meade. In Sep- 
tember, 1863, General Hooker was given 
command of the Twentieth Corps and trans- 
ferred to the Army of the Cumberland, and 
distinguished himself at the battles of Look- 
out Mountain, Missionary Ridge, and Ring- 
gold. In the Atlanta campaign he saw 
almost daily service and merited his well- 
known nickname of " Fighting Joe." July 
30, 1864, at his own request, he was re- 
lieved of his command. He subsequently 
was in command of several military depart- 
ments in the north, and in October, 1868, 
was retired with the full rank of major-gen- 
eral. He died October 31, 1879. 



JAY GOULD, one of the greatest finan- 
ciers that the world has ever produced, 
was born May 27, 1836, at Roxbury, Dela- 
ware county, New York. He spent his early 
years on his father's farm and at the age of 
fourteen entered Hobart Academy, New 
York, and kept books for the village black- 
smith. He acquired a taste for mathematics 
and surveying and on leaving school found 
employment in making the surveyor's map 
of Ulster county. He surveyed very exten- 
sively in the state and accumulated five thou- 
sand dollars as the fruits of his labor. He 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY, 



m 



was then stricken with typhoid fever but re- 
covered and made the acquaintance of one 
Zadock Pratt, who sent him into the west- 
ern part of the state to locate a site for a 
tannery. He chose a fine hemlock grove, 
built a sawmill and blacksmith shop and 
was soon doing a large lumber business with 
Mr. Pratt. Mr. Gould soon secured control 
of the entire plant, which he sold out just 
before the panic of 1857 and in this year he 
became the largest stockholderintheStrouds- 
burg, Pennsylvania, bank. Shortly after the 
crisis he bought the bonds of the Rutland 
& Washington Railroad at ten cents on the 
dollar, and put all his money into railroad 
securities. For a long time he conducted 
this road which he consolidated with the 
Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad. In 1859 
he removed to New York and became a 
heavy investor in Erie Railroad stocks, en- 
tered that company and was president until 
its reorganization in 1872. In December, 
1880, Mr. Gould was in control of ten thou- 
sand miles of railroad. In 18S7 he pur- 
chased the controlling interest in the St. 
Louis & San Francisco Railroad Co., and 
was a joint owner with the Atchison, Topeka 
& Santa Fe Railroad Co. of the western 
portion of the Southern Pacific line. Other 
lines soon came under his control, aggregat- 
ing thousand of miles, and he soon was rec- 
ognized as one of the world's greatest rail- 
road magnates. He continued to hold his 
place as one of the master financiers of the 
century until the time of his death which 
occurred December 2, 1892. 



THOMAS HART BENTON, a very 
prominent United States senator and 
statesman, was born at Hillsborough, North 
Carolina, March 14, 1782. He removed to 
Tennessee in early life, studied law, and be- 
gan to practice at Nashville about 18 10. 



During the war of 1812-1815 he served as 
colonel of a Tennessee regiment under Gen- 
eral Andrew Jackson. In 181 5 he removed 
to St. Louis, Missouri, and in 1820 was 
chosen United States senator for that state. 
Having been re-elected in 1826, he sup- 
ported President Jackson in his opposition 
to the United States bank and advocated a 
gold and silver currency, thus gaining the 
name of " Old Bullion," by which he was 
familiarly known. For many years he was 
the most prominent man in Missouri, and 
took rank among the greatest statesmen of 
his day. He was a member of the senate 
for thirty years and opposed the extreme 
states' rights policy of John C. Calhoun. 
In 1852 he was elected to the house of rep- 
resentatives in which he opposed the repeal 
of the Missouri compromise. He was op- 
posed by a powerful party of States' Rights 
Democrats in Missouri, who defeated him as a 
candidate for governor of that state in 1856. 
Colonel Benton published a considerable 
work in two volumes in 1854-56, entitled 
" Thirty Years' View, or a History of the 
Working of the American Government for 
Thirty Years, 1S20-50." He died April 10, 
1858. 

STEPHEN ARNOLD DOUGLAS.— One 
of the most prominent figures in politic- 
al circles during the intensely exciting days 
that preceded the war, and a leader of the 
Union branch of the Democratic party was 
the gentleman whose name heads this 
sketch. 

He was born at Brandon, Rutland coun- 
ty, Vermont, April 23, 1813, of poor but 
respectable parentage. His father, a prac- 
ticing physician, died while our subject was 
but an infant, and his mother, with two 
small children and but small means, could 
give him but the rudiments of an education. 



54 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



>\t the age of fifteen young Douglas engaged 
at work in the cabinet making business to 
raise funds to carry him through college. 
After a few years of labor he was enabled to 
pursue an academical course, first at Bran- 
don, and later at Canandaigua, New York. 
tn the latter place he remained until 1833, 
taking up the study of law. Before he was 
twenty, however, his funds running low, he 
abandoned all further attempts at educa- 
tion, determining to enter at once the battle 
of life. After some wanderings through the 
western states he tooK up his residence at 
Jacksonville, Illinois, where, after teaching 
school for three months, he was admitted to 
the bar, and opened an office in 1834. 
Within a year from that time, so rapidly had 
he risen in his profession, he was chosen 
attorney general of the state, and warmly 
espoused the principles of the Democratic 
party. He soon became one of the most 
popular orators in Illinois. It was at this 
time he gained the name of the "Little 
Giant." In 1835 he resigned the position 
of attorney general having been elected to 
the legislature. In 1841 he was chosen 
judge of the supreme court of Illinois which 
he resigned two years later to take a seat in 
congress. It was during this period of his 
iife, while a member of the lower house, 
that he established his reputation and took 
the side of those who contended that con- 
gress had no constitutional right to restrict 
the extension of slavery further than the 
agreement between the states made in 1820. 
This, in spite of his being opposed to slav- 
ery, and only on grounds which he believed 
to be right, favored what was called the 
Missouri compromise. In 1847 Mr. Doug- 
las was chosen United States senator for 
six years, and greatly distinguished himself, 
in 1852 he was re-elected to the same office. 
During this latter term, under his leader- 



ship, the " Kansas-Nebraska bill " was car- 
ried in the senate. In 1858, nothwith- 
standing the fierce contest made by his able 
competitor for the position, Abraham Lin- 
coln, and with the administration of Bu- 
chanan arrayed against him, Mr. Douglas 
was re-elected senator. After the trouble 
in the Charleston convention, when by the 
withdrawal of several state delegates with- 
out "a nomination, the Union Democrats, 
in convention at Baltimore, in i860, nomi- 
nated Mr. Douglas as their candidate for 
presidency. The results of this election are 
well known and the great events of 1861 
coming on, Mr. Douglas was spared their 
full development, dying at Chicago, Illinois, 
June 3, 1 86 1, after a short illness. His 
last words to his children were, ' ' to obey 
the laws and support the constitution of the 
United States." 



JAMES MONROE, fifth president of the 
United States, was born in Westmore- 
land county, Virginia, April 28, 1758. At 
the age of sixteen he entered William and 
Mary College, but two years later the 
Declaration of Independence having been 
adopted, he left college and hastened to New 
York where he joined Washington's army as 
a military cadet. 

At the battle of Trenton Monroe per- 
formed gallant service and received a wound 
in the shoulder, and was promoted to a 
captaincy. He acted as aide to Lord Ster- 
ling at the battles of Brandywine, German- 
town and Monmouth. Washington then 
sent him to Virginia to raise a new regiment 
of which he was to be colonel. The ex- 
hausted condition of Virginia made this im • 
possible, but he received his commission. 
He next entered the law office of Thomas 
Jefferson to study law, as there was no open- 
ing for him as an officer in the army. In 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



55 



1782 he was elected to the Virginia assem- 
bly, and the next year he was elected to the 
Continental congress. Realizing the inade- 
quacy of the old articles of confederation, 
he advocated the calling of a convention to 
consider their revision, and introduced in 
congress a resolution empowering congress 
to regulate trade, lay import duties, etc. 
This resolution was referred to a committee, 
of which he was chairman, and the report 
led to the Annapolis convention, which 
called a general convention to meet at Phila- 
delphia in 1787, when the constitution was 
drafted. Mr. Monroe began the practice of 
law at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and was 
soon after elected to the legislature, and ap- 
pointed as one of the committee to pass 
upon the adoption of the constitution. He 
opposed it, as giving too much power to the 
central government. He was elected to the 
United States senate in 1789, where he 
allied himself with the Anti-Federalists or 
"Republicans," as they were sometimes 
called. Although his views as to neutrality 
between France and England were directly 
opposed to those of the president, yet Wash- 
ington appointed him minister to France. 
His popularity in France was so great that 
the antagonism of England and her friends 
in this country brought about his recall. He 
then became governor of Virginia. He was 
sent as envoy to France in 1802; minister 
to England in 1803; and envoy to Spain in 
1805. The next year he returned to his 
estate in Virginia, and with an ample in- 
heritance enjoyed a few years of repose. He 
was again called to be governor of Virginia, 
and was then appointed secretary of state 
by President Madison. The war with Eng- 
land soon resulted, and when the capital 
was burned by the British, Mr. Monroe be- 
came secretary of war also, and planned the 
measures for the defense of New Orleans. 



The treasury being exhausted and credit 
gone, he pledged his own estate, and thereby 
made possible the victory of Jackson at New 
Orleans. 

In 1 81 7 Mr. Monroe became president 
of the United States, having been a candi- 
date of the "Republican" party, which at 
that time had begun to be called the ' ' Demo- 
cratic" party. In 1820 he was re-elected, 
having two hundred and thirty-one electoral 
votes out of two hundred and thirty-two. 
His administration is known as the "Era of 
good-feeling, " and party lines were almost 
wiped out. The slavery question began to 
assume importance at this time, and the 
Missouri Compromise was passed. The 
famous ' ' Monroe Doctrine " originated in a 
great state paper of President Monroe upon 
the rumored interference of the Holy Alli- 
ance to prevent the formation of free repub- 
lics in South America. President Monroe 
acknowledged their independence, and pro- 
mulgated his great "Doctrine," which has 
been held in reverence since. Mr. Monroe's 
death occurred in New York on July 4, 1831. 



THOMAS ALVA EDISON, the master 
wizard of electrical science and whose 
name is synonymous with the subjugation 
of electricity to the service of man, was 
born in 1847 at Milan, Ohio, and it was at 
Port Huron, Michigan, whither his parents 
had moved in 1854, that his self-education 
began — for he never attended school for 
more than two months. He eagerly de- 
voured every book he could lay his hands on 
and is said to have read through an encyclo- 
pedia without missing a word. At thirteen he 
began his working life as a trainboy upon the 
Grand Trunk Railway between Port Huron 
and Detroit. Much of his time was now 
spent in Detroit, where he found increased 
facilities for reading at the public libraries, 



56 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



He was not content to be a newsboy, so he 
got togetner three hundred pounds of type 
and started the issue of the " Grand Trunk 
Herald." It was only a small amateur 
weekly, printed on one side, the impression 
being made from the type by hand. Chemi- 
cal research was his next undertaking and 
a laboratory was added to his movable pub- 
lishing house, which, by the way, was an 
old freight car. One day, however, as he 
was experimenting with some phosphorus, 
it ignited and the irate conductor threw the 
young seeker after the truth, chemicals and 
all, from the train. His office and laboratory 
were then removed to the cellar of his fa- 
ther's house. As he grew to manhood he 
decided to become an operator. He won 
his opportunity by saving the life of a child, 
whose father was an old operator, and out of 
gratitude he gave Mr. Edison lessons in teleg- 
raphy. Five months later he was compe- 
tent to fill a position in the railroad office 
at Port Huron. Hence he peregrinated to 
Stratford, Ontario, and thence successively 
to Adrian, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cin- 
cinnati, Memphis, Louisville and Boston, 
gradually becoming an expert operator and 
gaining experience that enabled him to 
evolve many ingenious ideas for the im- 
provement of telegraphic appliances. At 
Memphis he constructed an automatic re- 
peater, which enabled Louisville and New 
Orleans to communicate direct, and received 
nothing more than the thanks of his em- 
ployers. Mr. Edison came to New York in 
1870 in search of an opening more suitable 
to his capabilities and ambitions. He hap- 
pened to be in the office of the Laws Gold 
Reporting Company when one of the in- 
struments got out of order, and even the 
inventor of the system could not make it 
work. Edison requested to be allowed to 
attempt the task, and in a few minutes he 



had overcome the difficulty and secured an 
advantageous engagement. For several 
years he had a contract with the Western 
Union and the Gold Stock companies, 
whereby he received a large salary, besides 
a special price for all telegraphic improve- 
ments he could suggest. Later, as the 
head of the Edison General Electric com- 
pany, with its numerous subordinate organ- 
izations and connections all over the civil- 
ized world, he became several times a 
millionaire. Mr. Edison invented the pho- 
nograph and kinetograph which bear his 
name, the carbon telephone, the tasimeter, 
and the duplex and quadruplex systems of 
telegraphy. 

JAMES LONGSTREET, one of the most 
conspicuous of the Confederate generals 
during the Civil war, was born in 1820, in 
South Carolina, but was early taken by his 
parents to Alabama where he grew to man- 
hood and received his early education. He 
graduated at the United States military 
academy in 1842, entering the army as 
lieutenant and spent a few years in the fron- 
tier service. When the Mexican war broke 
out he was called to the front and partici- 
pated in all the principal battles of that war 
up to the storming of Chapultepec, where 
he received severe wounds. For gallant 
conduct at Contreras, Cherubusco, and Mo- 
lino del Rey he received the brevets of cap- 
tain and major. After the close of the 
Mexican war Longstreet served as adjutant 
and captain on frontier service in Texas un- 
til 1858 when he was transferred to the staff 
as paymaster with rank of major. In June, 
1 86 1, he resigned to join the Confederacy 
and immediately went to the front, com- 
manding a brigade at Bull Run the follow- 
ing month. Promoted to be major-general 
in 1862 he thereafter bore a conspicuous 



C0MPEXD1LM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



5( 



part and rendered valuable service to the 
Confederate cause. He participated in 
many of the most severe battles of the Civil 
war including Bull Run (first and second), 
Seven Pines, Gaines' Mill, Fraziers Farm, 
Malvern Hill, Antietam, Frederickburg, 
Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, 
the Wilderness, Petersburg and most of the 
fighting about Richmond. 

When the war closed General Long- 
street accepted the result, renewed his alle- 
giance to the government, and thereafter 
labored earnestly to obliterate all traces of 
war and promote an era of good feeling be- 
tween all sections of the country. He took 
up his residence in New Orleans, and took 
an active interest and prominent part in 
public affairs, served as surveyor of that 
port for several years; was commissioner of 
engineers for Louisiana, served four years 
as school commissioner, etc. In 1875 he 
was appointed supervisor of internal revenue 
and settled in Georgia. After that time he 
served four years as United States minister 
to Turkey, and also for a number of years 
was United States marshal of Georgia, be- 
sides having held other important official 
positions. 

JOHN RUTLEDGE, the second chief- 
justice of the United States, was born 
at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1739. 
He was a son of John Rutledge, who had 
left Ireland for America about five years 
prior to the birth of our subject, and a 
brother of Edward Rutledge, a signer of the 
Declaration of Independence. John Rut- 
ledge received his legal education at the 
Temple, London, after which he returned 
to Charleston and soon won distinction at 
the bar. He was elected to the old Colonial 
congress in 1765 to protest against the 
" Stamp Act, " and was a member of the 



South Carolina convention of 1774, and of 
the Continental congress of that and the 
succeeding year. In 1776 he was chairman 
of the committee that draughted the con- 
stitution of his state, and was president of 
the congress of that state. He was not 
pleased with the state constitution, how- 
ever, and resigned. In 1779 he was again 
chosen governor of the state, and granted 
extraordinary powers, and he at once took 
the field to repel the British. He joined 
the army of General Gates in 1782, and the 
same year was elected to congress. He 
was a member of the constitutional con- 
vention which framed our present constitu- 
tion. In 1789 he was appointed an associate 
justice of the first supreme court of the 
United States. He resigned to accept the 
position of chief-justice of his own state. 
Upon the resignation of Judge Jay, he was 
appointed chief-justice of the United States 
in 1795. The appointment was never con- 
firmed, for, after presiding at one session, 
his mind became deranged, and he was suc- 
ceeded by Judge Ellsworth. He died at 
Charleston, July 23, 1800. 



RALPH WALDO EMERSON was one 
of the most noted literary men of his 
time. He was born in Boston, Massachu- 
setts, May 25, 1803. He had a minister for 
an ancestor, either on the paternal or ma- 
ternal side, in every generation for eight 
generations back. His father, Rev. Will- 
iam Emerson, was a native of Concord, 
Massachusetts, born May 6, 1769, graduated 
at Harvard, in 17S9, became a Unitarian 
minister; was a fine writer and one of the 
best orators of his day; died in 181 1. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson was fitted for 
college at the public schools of Boston, and 
graduated at Harvard College in 1821, win- 
ning about this time several prizes for es- 



58 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



says. For five years he taught school in 
Boston; in 1826 was licensed to preach, and 
in 1829 was ordained as a colleague to Rev. 
Henry Ware of the Second Unitarian church 
in Boston. In 1832 he resigned, making 
the announcement in a sermon of his un- 
willingness longer to administer the rite of 
Ae Lord's Supper, after which he spent 
about a year in Europe. Upon his return 
he began his career as a lecturer before the 
Boston Mechanics Institute, his subject be- 
ing "Water." His early lectures on " Italy" 
and "Relation of Man to the Globe" also 
attracted considerable attention; as did also 
his biographical lectures on Michael Angelo, 
Milton, Luther, George Fox, and Edmund 
Burke. After that time he gave many 
courses of lectures in Boston and became 
one of the best known lecturers in America. 
But very few men have rendered such con- 
tinued service in this field. He lectured for 
forty successive seasons before the Salem, 
Massachusetts, Lyceum and also made re- 
peated lecturing tours in this country and in 
England. In 1835 Mr. Emerson took up 
his residence at Concord, Massachusetts, 
where he continued to make his home until 
his death which occurred April 27, 1882. 

Mr. Emerson's literary work covered a 
wide scope. He wrote and published many 
works, essays and poems, which rank high 
among the works of American literary men. 
A few of the many which he produced are 
the following: "Nature;" "The Method 
ofNature;" "Man Thinking;" "The Dial;" 
"Essays;" "Poems;" "English Traits;" 
"The Conduct of Life;" "May-Day and 
other Poems " and " Society and Solitude;" 
besides many others. He was a prominent 
member of the American Academy of Arts 
and Sciences, of the American Philosophical 
Society, the Massachusetts Historical Society 
and other kindred associations. 



ALEXANDER T. STEWART, one of 
the famous merchant princes of New 
York, was born near the city of Belfast, Ire- 
land, in 1803, and before he was eight years 
of age was left an orphan without any near 
relatives, save an aged grandfather. The 
grandfather being a pious Methodist wanted 
to make a minister of young Stewart, and 
accordingly put him in a school with that 
end in view and he graduated at Trinity Col- 
lege, in Dublin. When scarcely twenty 
years of age he came to New York. His 
first employment was that of a teacher, but 
accident soon made him a merchant. En- 
tering into business relations with an ex- 
perienced man of his acquaintance he soon 
found himself with the rent of a store on 
his hands and alone in a new enterprise. 
Mr. Stewart's business grew rapidly in all 
directions, but its founder had executive 
ability sufficient for any and all emergencies, 
and in time his house became one of the 
greatest mercantile establishments of mod- 
ern times, and the name of Stewart famous. 
Mr. Stewart's death occurred April 10, 
1876. 

JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. — In 
speaking of this noted American nov- 
elist, William Cullen Bryant said: " He 
wrote for mankind at large, hence it is that 
he has earned a fame wider than any Amer- 
ican author of modern times. The crea- 
tions of his genius shall survive through 
centuries to come, and only perish with our 
language." Another eminent writer (Pres- 
cott) said of Cooper: " In his productions 
every American must take an honest pride; 
for surely no one has succeeded like Cooper 
in the portraiture of American character, or 
has given such glowing and eminently truth- 
ful pictures of American scenery." 

James Fenimore Cooper was born Sep- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



59 



tember 15, 1789, at Burlington, New Jer- 
sey, and was a son of Judge William Cooper. 
About a year after the birth of our subject 
the family removed to Otsego county, New 
York, and founded the town called " Coop- 
erstown. " James Fenimore Cooper spent 
his childhood there and in 1802 entered 
Yale College, and four years later became a 
midshipman in the United States navy. In 
181 1 he was married, quit the seafaring life, 
and began devoting more or less time to lit- 
erary pursuits. His first work was "Pre- 
caution," a novel published in 1S19, and 
three years later he produced "The Spy, a 
Tale of Neutral Ground," which met with 
great favor and was a universal success. 
This was followed by many other works, 
among which may be mentioned the follow- 
ing: ' ' The Pioneers, " ' ' The Pilot, " ' ' Last 
of the Mohicans," "The Prairie," "The 
Red Rover," "The Manikins," "Home- 
ward Bound," "Home as Found," "History 
of the United States Navy," "The Path- 
finder," "Wing and Wing," "Afloat and 
Ashore," "The Chain-Bearer," "Oak- 
Openings," etc. J. Fenimore Cooper died 
at Cooperstown, New York, September 14, 
1851. 

MARSHALL FIELD, one of the mer- 
chant princes of America, ranks among 
the most successful business men of the cen- 
tury. He was born in 1835 at Conway, 
Massachusetts. He spent his early life on 
a farm and secured a fair education in the 
common schools, supplementing this with a 
course at the Conway Academy. His 
natural bent ran in the channels of commer- 
cial life, and at the age of seventeen he was 
given a position in a store at Pittsfie'.d, 
Massachusetts. Mr. Field remained there 
four years and removed to Chicago in 1856. 
He began his career in Chicago as a clerk 



in the wholesale dry goods house of Cooley, 
Wadsworth & Company, which later be- 
came Cooley, Farwell & Company, and still 
later John V. Farwell & Company. He 
remained with them four years and exhibit- 
ed marked ability, in recognition of which 
he was given a partnership. In 1865 Mr. 
Field and L. Z. Leiter, who was also a 
member of the firm, withdrew and formed 
the firm of Field, Palmer & Leiter, the 
third partner being Potter Palmer, and they 
continued in business until 1867, when Mr. 
Palmer retired and the firm became Field, 
Leiter & Company. They ran under the 
latter name until 1SS1, when Mr. Leiter re- 
tired and the house has since continued un- 
der the name of Marshall Field & Company. 
The phenomenal success accredited to the 
house is largely due to the marked ability 
of Mr. Field, the house had become one of 
the foremost in the west, with an annual 
sale of $8,000,000 in 1870. The total loss 
of the firm during the Chicago fire was 
$3,500,000 of which $2,500,000 was re- 
covered through the insurance companies. 
It rapidly recovered from the effects of this 
and to-day the annual sales amount to over 
$40,000,000. Mr. Field's real estate hold- 
ings amounted to $10,000,000. He was 
one of the heaviest subscribers to the Bap- 
tist University fund although he is a Presby- 
terian, and gave $1,000,000 for the endow- 
ment of the Field Columbian Museum — 
one of the greatest institutions of the kind 
in the world. 

EDGAR WILSON NYE, who won an im- 
mense popularity under the pen name 
of " Bill Nye," was one of the most eccen- 
tric humorists of his day. He was born Au- 
gust 25, 1850, at Shirley, Piscataqua coun- 
ty, Maine, "at a very early age " as he ex- 
presses it. He took an academic course in 



60 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



River Falls, Wisconsin, from whence, after 
his graduation, he removed to Wyoming 
Territory. He studied law and was ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1876. He began when 
quite young to contribute humorous sketches 
to the newspapers, became connected with 
various western journals and achieved a 
brilliant success as a humorist. Mr. Nye 
settled later in New York City where he 
devoted his time to writing funny articles for 
the big newspaper syndicates. He wrote for 
publication in book form the following : 
"Bill Nye and the Boomerang," "The 
Forty Liars," "Baled Hay," "Bill Nye's 
Blossom Rock," "Remarks," etc. His 
death occurred February 21, 1896, at Ashe- 
ville, North Carolina. 



THOMAS DE WITT TALMAGE, one of 
the most celebrated American preach- 
ers, was born January 7, 1832, and was the 
youngest of twelve children. He made his 
preliminary studies at the grammar school 
in New Brunswick, New Jersey. At the age 
of eighteen he joined the church and entered 
the University of the City of New York, and 
graduated in May, 1853. The exercises 
were held in Niblo's Garden and his speech 
aroused the audience to a high pitch of en- 
thusiasm. At the close o-f his college duties 
he imagined himself interested in the law 
and for three years studied law. Dr. Tal- 
mage then perceived his mistake and pre- 
pared himself for the ministry at the 
Reformed Dutch Church Theological Semi- 
nary at New Brunswick, New Jersey. Just 
after his ordination the young minister re- 
ceived two calls, one from Piermont, New 
York, and the other from Belleville, New 
Jersey. Dr. Talmage accepted the latter 
and for three years filled that charge, when 
he was called to Syracuse, New York. Here 
it was that his sermons first drew large 



crowds of people to his church, and from 
thence dates his popularity. Afterward he 
became the pastor of the Second Reformed 
Dutch church, of Philadelphia, remaining 
seven years, during which period he first 
entered upon the lecture platform and laid 
the foundation for his future reputation. At 
the end of this time he received three calls, 
one from Chicago, one from San Francisco, 
and one from the Central Presbyterian 
church of Brooklyn, which latter at that 
time consisted of only nineteen members 
with a congregation of about thirty-five. 
This church offered him a salary of seven 
thousand dollars and he accepted the call. 
He soon induced the trustees to sell the old 
church and build a new one. They did so 
and erected the Brooklyn Tabernacle, but 
it burned down shortly after it was finished. 
By prompt sympathy and general liberality 
a new church was built and formally opened 
in February, 1874. It contained seats for 
four thousand, six hundred and fifty, but if 
necessary seven thousand could be accom- 
modated. In October, 1878, his salary was 
raised from seven thousand dollars to twelve 
thousand dollars, and in the autumn of 1889 
the second tabernacle was destroyed by fire. 
A third tabernacle was built and it was for- 
mally dedicated on Easter Sunday, 1891. 



JOHN PHILIP SOUSA, conceded as 
being one of the greatest band leaders 
in the world, won his fame while leader of 
the United States Marine Band at Washing- 
ton, District of Columbia. He was not 
originally a band player but was a violinist, 
and at the age of seventeen he was conduc- 
tor of an opera company, a profession which 
he followed for several years, until he was 
offered the leadership of the Marine Band 
at Washington. The proposition was re- 
pugnant to him at first but he accepted the 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



61 



offer and then ensued ten years of brilliant 
success with that organization. When he 
first took the Marine Band he began to 
gather the national airs of all the nations 
that have representatives in Washington, 
and compiled a comprehensive volume in- 
cluding nearly all the national songs of the 
different nations. He composed a number 
of marches, waltzes and two-steps, promi- 
nent among which are the "Washington 
Post," "Directorate," "King Cotton," 
"High School Cadets," "Belle of Chica- 
go," "Liberty Bell March," "Manhattan 
Beach," "On Parade March," "Thunderer 
March," "Gladiator March," " El Capitan 
March," etc. He became a very extensive 
composer of this class of music. 



JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, sixth president 
of the United States, was born in 
Braintree, Massachusetts, July II, 1767, 
the son of John Adams. At the age of 
eleven he was sent to school at Paris, and 
two years later to Leyden, where he entered 
that great university. He returned to the 
United States in 1785, and graduated from 
Harvard in 1788. He then studied law, 
and was admitted to the bar in 1791. His 
practice brought no income the first two 
years, but he won distinction in literary 
fields, and was appointed minister to The 
Hague in 1794. He married in 1797, and 
went as minister to Berlin the same year, 
serving until 1801, when Jefferson became 
president. He was elected to the senate in 
1803 by the Federalists, but was condemned 
by that party for advocating the Embargo 
Act and other Anti-Federalist measures. He 
was appointed as professor of rhetoric at 
Harvard in 1805, and in 1809 was sent as 
minister to Russia. He assisted in negotiat- 
ing the treaty of peace with England in 
1 8 14, and became minister to that power 



the next year. He served during Monroe's 
administration two terms as secretary of 
state, during which time party lines were 
obliterated, and in 1824 four candidates for 
president appeared, all of whom were iden- 
tified to some extent with the new " Demo- 
cratic" party. Mr. Adams received 84 elec- 
toral votes, Jackson 99, Crawford 41, and 
Clay 37. As no candidate had a majority 
of all votes, the election went to the house 
of representatives, which elected Mr. Adams. 
As Clay had thrown his influence to Mr. 
Adams, Clay became secretary of state, and 
this caused bitter feeling on the part of the 
Jackson Democrats, who were joined by 
Mr. Crawford and his following, and op- 
posed every measure of the administration. 
In the election of 1828 Jackson was elected 
over Mr. Adams by a great majority. 

Mr. Adams entered the lower house of 
congress in 1830, elected from the district 
in which he was born and continued to rep- 
resent it for seventeen years. He was 
known as " the old man eloquent," and his 
work in congress was independent of party. 
He opposed slavery extension and insisted 
upon presenting to congress, one at a time, 
the hundreds of petitions against the slave 
power. One of these petitions, presented in 
1842, was signed by forty-five citizens of 
Massachusetts, and prayed congress for a 
peaceful dissolution of the Union. His 
enemies seized upon this as an opportunity 
to crush their powerful foe, and in a caucus 
meeting determined upon his expulsion from 
congress. Finding they would not be able 
to command enough votes for this, they de- 
cided upon a course that would bring equal 
disgrace. They formulated a resolution to 
the effect that while he merited expulsion, 
the house would, in great mercy, substitute 
its severest censure. When it was read in the 
house the old man, then in his seventy-fifth 



62 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



yen , arose and denial K led tliat the first para- 

graph n[ the Declaration of Independence 
be read as his del. use. It embraced the 
famous sentence, " that whenevei any form 
of governmanl becomes destructive to those 

ends, it IS tile right ol Hie people td alter nr 

abolish it, and to institute new government, 

etc ., BtO " Alter eleven days nf hard fight" 

ing his opponents were defeated. On Fefcru 

.11 \ ' i , iS.pX, he rose to address the speaker 

on the * Oregon question, when he suddenly 
fell from a stroke of paralysis, lie died 

soon after in the rotunda of the e.apitol, 

where he had been conveyed l>v his col- 
|i agues 

SUSAN B. ANTHONY was one of the 
in":. t I. ii a women of Amei ica. She 

was bora at South Adams, Massachusetts, 
February 15, 1X20, the daughter of a 
Quaker. She received a good education 
and became a school teai her, following that 
profession for fifteen years in New York. 
r< ginning with about 1852 she became the 
active leadei ol the woman's rights move 
nient and won a wide reputation for her 
zeal and ability. She also distinguished 
herself for her zeal and eloquence in the 

temperance and anti-slavery causes, and 
became a conspicuous figure during the wai , 
After the close of the war she gave most of 
her labors to the cause of woman's suffrage. 

PHILIP I). ARMOUR, one of the most 
1 onspii nous figures in the mercantile 
history of America, was born May 10, 1832, 
• mi a In in at Stockbridge, Madison county, 

New York, and received his early edu( a In mi 

in the common schools of that county. He 

was apprenticed to a lancer and winked 

fa it lil 11 1 1\ and well, being verj ambitious and 
desiring to start out for himself. At tin- 
age of twenty he secured a release from his 



indentures and set out overland for the 
gold fields of California. After a great 
deal of hard work he accumulated a little 
money and then came east and settled 
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He went into 
the grain receiving and warehouse busi- 
ness and was fairly successful, and later on 
he formed a partnership with John I'lankin- 
ton in the pork packing line, the style of the 
linn being Plankinton & Armour. Mr. Ar- 
mour made his first great "deal" in selling 
pork "short" on the New York market in 
the anticipation of the fall of the Confed- 
eracy, and Mr. Armour is said to have made 
through this deal a million dollars. Ilothen 
established packing houses in Chicago and 
Kansas City, and in 1X75 he removed to 
< hicago. I le increased his business by add- 
ing to it the shipment of dressed beef to 
the European markets, and many other lines 
of trade and manufacturing, and it rapidly 
assumed vast proportions, employing an 
army of men in different lines of the busi- 
ness. Mr. Armour successfully conducted a 
great many speculative deals in pork and 
grain of immense proportions and also erected 
many lar^e warehouses for the storage of 
grain. He became one of the representative 
business men of Chicago, where he became 
closely identified with all enterprises of a 
public nature, hut his fame as a great husi- 
ness man extended to all parts of the world. 
He founded the "Armour Institute " at Chi- 
cago and also contributed largely to benevo- 
lent and charitable institutions. 



ROBERT FULTON.— Although Fulton 
is best known as the inventor of the 
first successful steamboat, yet his claims to 

dist Miction di 1 m 'I rest alone upon licit, for 

he was an inventor along other lines, a 

paintei and an author. lie was horn at 
Little Britain, Lancaster county, Pcnnsyl 



COMPENDIUM Of BIOGRArilV. 



65 



vania, in 1765, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. 
At the age of seventeen he removed to Phila- 
delphia, and there and in New York en- 
gaged in miniature painting with success 
both from a pecuniary and artistic point of 
view. With the results of his labors he pur- 
chased a farm for the support of his mother. 
He went to London and studied under the 
great painter, Benjamin West, and all 
through life retained his fondness for art 
and gave evidence of much ability in that 
line. While in England he was brought in 
contact with the Duke of Bridgewater, the 
father of the English canal system; Lord 
Stanhope, an eminent mechanician, and 
James Watt, the inventor of the steam en- 
gine. Their influence turned his mind to its 
true field of labor, that of mechanical in- 
vention. Machines for flax spinning, 
marble sawing, rope making, and for remov- 
ing earth from excavations, are among his 
earliest ventures. His "Treatise on the 
Improvement of Canal Navigation," issued 
in 1796, and a series of essays on canals 
were soon followed by an English patent 
for canal improvements. In 1797 he went 
to Paris, where he resided until 1806, and 
there invented a submarine torpedo boat for 
maritime defense, but which was rejected 
by the governments of France, England and 
the United States. In 1 803 he offered to con- 
struct for the Emperor Napoleon a steam- 
boat that would assist in carrying out the 
plan of invading Great Britain then medi- 
tated by that great captain. In pursuance 
he constructed his first steamboat on the 
Seine, but it did not prove a full success 
and the idea was abandoned by the French 
government. By the aid of Livingston, 
then United States minister to France, 
Fulton purchased, in 1806, an engine which 
he brought to this country. After studying 
the defects of his own and other attempts in 



this line he built and launched in 1807 the 
Clermont, the first successful steamboat 
This craft only attained a speed of five 
miles an hour while going up North river. 
His first patent not fully covering his in- 
vention, Fulton was engaged in many law 
suits for infringement. He constructed 
many steamboats, ferryboats, etc., among 
these being the United States steamer 
" Fulton the First," built in 18 14, the first 
war steamer ever built. This craft never 
attained any great speed owing to some de- 
fects in construction and accidentally blew 
up in 1829. Fulton died in New York, Feb- 
ruary 21, l8 I 5. 



SALMON PORTLAND CHASE, sixth 
chief-justice of the United States, and 
one of the most eminent of American jurists, 
was born in Cornish, New Hampshire, Jan- 
uary 13, 1808. At the age of nine he was 
left in poverty by the death of his father, 
but means were found to educate him. He 
was sent to his uncle, a bishop, who con- 
ducted an academy near Columbus, Ohio, 
and here young Chase worked on the farm 
and attended school. At the age of fifteen 
he returned to his native state and entered 
Dartmouth College, from which he gradu- 
ated in 1 826. He then went to Washington, 
and engaged in teaching school, and study- 
ing law under the instruction of William 
Wirt. He was licensed to practice in 1829, 
and went to Cincinnati, where he had a 
hard struggle for several years following. 
He had in the meantime prepared notes on 
the statutes of Ohio, which, when published, 
brought him into prominence locally. He 
was soon after appointed solicitor of the 
United States Bank. In 1837 he appeared 
as counsel for a fugitive slave woman, Ma- 
tilda, and sought by all the powers of hih 
learning and eloquence to prevent her owner 



m 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY, 



from reclaiming her. He acted in many 
other cases, and devolved the trite expres- 
sion, "Slavery is sectional, freedom is na- 
tional." He was employed to defend Van 
Zandt before the supreme court of the United 
States in 1846, which was one of the most 
noted cases connected with the great strug- 
gle against slavery. By this time Mr. Chase 
had become the recognized leader of that 
element known as " free-soilers." He was 
elected to the United States senate in 1849, 
and was chosen governor of Ohio in 1855 
and re-elected in 1857. He was chosen to 
the United States senate from Ohio in 1861, 
but was made secretary of the treasury by 
Lincoln and accepted. He inaugurated a 
financial system to replenish the exhausted 
treasury and meet the demands of the great- 
est war in history and at the same time to 
revive the industries of the country. One 
of the measures which afterward called for 
his judicial attention was the issuance of 
currency notes which were made a legal 
tender in payment of debts. When this 
question came before him as chief-justice 
of the United States he reversed his former 
action and declared the measure unconstitu- 
tional. The national banking system, by 
which all notes issued were to be based on 
funded government bonds of equal or greater 
amounts, had its direct origin with Mr. Chase. 
Mr. Chase resigned the treasury port- 
folio in 1864, and was appointed the same 
year as chief-justice of the United States 
supreme court. The great questions that 
came up before him at this crisis in the life 
of the nation were no less than those which 
confronted the first chief-justice at the for- 
mation of our government. Reconstruction, 
private, state and national interests, the 
constitutionality of the acts of congress 
passed in times of great excitement, the 
construction and interpretation to be placed 



upon the several amendments to the national 
constitution, — these were among the vital 
questions requiring prompt decision. He 
received a paralytic stroke in 1870, which 
impaired his health, thcugh his mental 
powers were not affected. He continued to 
preside at the opening terms for two years 
following and died May 7, 1873. 



HARRIET ELIZABETH BEECHER 
STOWE, a celebrated American writ- 
er, was born June 14, 1812, at Litchfield, 
Connecticut. She was a daughter of Lyman 
Beecher and a sister of Henry Ward Beecher, 
two noted divines; was carefully educated, 
and taught school for several years at Hart- 
ford, Connecticut. In 1832 Miss Beecher 
married Professor Stowe, then of Lane Semi- 
nary, Cincinnati, Ohio, and afterwards at 
Bowdoin College and Andover Seminary. 
Mrs. Stowe published in 1849 "The May- 
flower, or sketches of the descendants of the 
Pilgrims," and in 1851 commenced in the 
' ' National Era " of Washington, a serial story 
which was published separately in 1852 under 
the title of " Uncle Tom's Cabin." This 
book attained almost unparalleled success 
both at home and abroad, and within ten years 
it had been translated in almost every lan- 
guage of the civilized world. Mrs. Stowe pub- 
lished in 1853 a "Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin" 
in which the data that she used was published 
and its truthfulness was corroborated. In 
1853 she accompanied her husband and 
brother to Europe, and on her return pub- 
lished "Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands" 
in 1854. Mrs. Stowe was for some time 
one of the editors of the ' ' Atlantic Monthly " 
and the " Hearth and Home," for which 
she had written a number of articles. 
Among these, also published separately, are 
" Dred, a tale of the Great Dismal Swamp " 
(later published under the title of "Nina 



COMPEXDICM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



67 



Gordon"); "The Minister's Wooing;" "The 
Pearl of Orr's Island;" "Agnes of Sorrento;" 
"Oldtovvn Folks;" "My Wife and I;" "Bible 
Heroines," and "A Dog's Mission." Mrs. 
Stowe's death occurred July I, 1896, at 
Hartford, Connecticut. 



THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON, bet- 
ter known as "Stonewall" Jackson, 
was one of the most noted of the Confeder- 
ate generals of the Civil war. He was a 
soldier by nature, an incomparable lieuten- 
ant, sure to execute any operation entrusted 
to him with marvellous precision, judgment 
and courage, and all his individual cam- 
paigns and combats bore the stamp of a 
masterly capacity for war. He was born 
January 21, 1824, at Clarksburg, Harrison 
county, West Virginia. He was early in 
life imbued with the desire to be a soldier 
and it is said walked from the mountains of 
Virginia to Washington, secured the aid of 
his congressman, and was appointed cadet 
at the United States Military Academy at 
West Point from which he was graduated in 

1846. Attached to the army as brevet sec- 
ond lieutenant of the First Artillery, his first 
service was as a subaltern with Magruder's 
battery of light artillery in the Mexican war. 
He participated at the reduction of Vera 
Cruz, and was noticed for gallantry in the 
battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Moline 
del Rey, Chapultepec, and the capture of 
the city of Mexico, receiving the brevets of 
captain for conduct at Contreras and Cher- 
ubusco and of major at Chapultepec. In 
the meantime he had been advanced by 
regular promotion to be first lieutenant in 

1847. In 1852, the war having closed, he 
resigned and became professor of natural 
and experimental philosophy and artillery 
instructor at the Virginia State Military 
Institute at Lexington, Virginia, where he 



remained until Virginia declared for seces- 
sion, he becoming chiefly noted for intense 
religious sentiment coupled with personal 
eccentricities. Upon the breaking out of 
the war he was made colonel and placed in 
command of a force sent to sieze Harper's 
Ferry, which he accomplished May 3, 1861. 
Relieved by General J. E. Johnston, May 
23, he took command of the brigade ol 
Valley Virginians, whom he moulded into 
that brave corps, baptized at the first 
Manassas, and ever after famous as the 
" Stonewall Brigade." After this "Stone- 
wall " Jackson was made a major-general, 
in 1 861, and participated until his death in 
all the famous campaigns about Richmond 
and in Virginia, and was a conspicuous fig- 
ure in the memorable battles of that time. 
May 2, 1863, at Chancellorsville, he was 
wounded severely by his own troops, two 
balls shattering his left arm and another 
passing through the palm of his right hand. 
The left arm was amputated, but pneumonia 
intervened, and, weakened by the great loss 
of blood, he died May 10, 1863. The more 
his operations in the Shenandoah valley in 
1862 are studied the more striking must the 
merits of this great soldier appear. 



JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER.— 
J Near to the heart of the people of the 
Anglo-Saxon race will ever lie the verses of 
this, the "Quaker Poet." The author of 
"Barclay of Ury," "Maud Muller" and 
"Barbara Frietchie," always pure, fervid 
and direct, will be remembered when many 
a more ambitious writer has been forgotten. 
John G. Whitticr was born at Haver- 
hill, Massachusetts, December 7, 1807. of 
Quaker parentage. He had but a common- 
school education and passed his boyhood 
days upon a farm. In early life he learned 
the trade of shoemaker. At the age of 



63 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAniT. 



eighteen he began to write verses for the 
Haverhill " Gazette." He spent two years 
after that at the Haverhill academy, after 
which, in 1829, he became editor of the 
"American Manufacturer," at Boston. In 
1830 he succeeded George D. Prentice as 
editor of the "New England Weekly Re- 
view," but the following year returned to 
Haverhill and engaged in farming. In 1832 
and in 1836 he edited the "Gazette." In 
1835 he was elected a member of the legis- 
lature, serving two years. In 1 S36 he became 
secretary of the Anti-slavery Society of Phil- 
adelphia. In 1838 and 1839 he edited the 
" Pennsylvania Freeman," but in the latter 
year the office was sacked and burned by a 
mob. In 1840 Whittier settled at Ames- 
bury, Massachusetts. In 1847 he became 
corresponding editor of the " National Era," 
an anti-slavery paper published at Washing- 
ton, and contributed to its columns many of 
his anti-slavery and other favorite lyrics. 
Mr. Whittier lived for many years in retire- 
ment of Quaker simplicity, publishing several 
volumes of poetry which have raised him to 
a high place among American authors and 
brought to him the love and admiration of 
his countrymen. In the electoral colleges 
of i860 and 1864 Whittier was a member. 
Much of his time after 1S76 was spent at 
Oak Knoll, Danvers, Massachusetts, but 
still retained his residence at Amesbury. 
He never married. His death occurred Sep- 
tember 7, 1892. 

The more prominent prose writings of 
John G. Whittier are as follows: "Legends 
of New England," "Justice and Expediency, 
or Slavery Considered with a View to Its Abo- 
lition," " The Stranger in Lowell," "Super- 
naturalism in New England," " Leaves from 
Margaret Smith's Journal," "Old Portraits 
and Modern Sketches" and " Literary 
Sketches." 



DAVID DIXON PORTER, illustrious as 
admiral of the United States navy, and 
famous as one of the most able naval offi- 
cers of America, was born in Pennsylvania, 
June 8, 18 14. His father was also a naval 
officer of distinction, who left the service of 
the United States to become commander of 
the naval forces of Mexico during the war 
between that country and Spain, and 
through this fact David Dixon Porter was 
appointed a midshipman in the Mexican 
navy. Two years later David D. Porter 
joined the United States navy as midship- 
man, rose in rank and eighteen years later 
as a lieutenant he is found actively engaged 
in all the operations of our navy along the 
east coast of Mexico. When the Civil war 
broke out Porter, then a commander, was 
dispatched in the Powhattan to the relief of 
Fort Pickens, Florida. This duty accom- 
plished, he fitted out a mortar flotilla for 
the reduction of the forts guarding the ap- 
proaches to New Orleans, which it was con- 
sidered of vital importance for the govern- 
ment to get possession of. After the fall of 
New Orleans the mortar flotilla was actively 
engaged at Vicksburg, and in the fall of 
1862 Porter was made a rear-admiral and 
placed in command of all the naval forces 
on the western rivers above New Orleans. 
The ability of the man was now con- 
spicuously manifested, not only in the bat- 
tles in which he was engaged, but also in 
the creation of a formidable fleet out of 
river steamboats, which he covered with 
such plating as they would bear. In 1864 
he was transferred to the Atlantic coast to 
command the naval forces destined to oper- 
ate against the defences of Wilmington, 
North Carolina, and on Jan. 15, 1865, the 
fall of Fort Fisher was hailed by the country 
as a glorious termination of his arduous war 
service. In 1866 he was made vice-admiral 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



6* 



and appointed superintendent of the Naval 
Academy. On the death of Farragut, in 
1870, he succeeded that able man as ad- 
miral of the navy. His death occurred at 
Washington, February 13, 1891. 



NATHANIEL GREENE was one of the 
best known of the distinguished gen- 
erals who led the Continental soldiery 
against the hosts of Great Britain during 
the Revolutionary war. He was the son 
of Quaker parents, and was born at War- 
wick, Rhode Island, May 27, 1742. In 
youth he acquired a good education, chiefly 
by his own efforts, as he was a tireless 
reader. In 1770 he was elected a member 
of the Assembly of his native state. The 
news of the battle of Lexington stirred 
his blood, and he offered his services to 
the government of the colonies, receiving 
the rank of brigadier-general and the com- 
mand of the troops from Rhode Island. 
He led them to the camp at Cambridge, 
and for thus violating the tenets of their 
faith, he was cast out of the Society of 
Friends, or Quakers. He soon won the es- 
teem of General Washington. In August, 

1776, Congress promoted Greene to the 
rank of major-general, and in the battles of 
Trenton and Princeton he led a division. 
At the battle of Brandy wine, September 1 1, 

1777, he greatly distinguished himself, pro- 
tecting the retreat of the Continentals by 
his firm stand. At the battle of German- 
town, October 4, the same year, he com- 
manded the left wing of the army with 
credit. In March, 1778, he reluctantly ac- 
cepted the office of quartermaster-general, 
but only with the understanding that his 
rank in the army would not be affected and 
that in action he should retain his command. 
On the bloody field of Monmouth, June 28, 

1778, he commanded the right wing, as he 



did at the battle of Tiverton Heights. He 
was in command of the army in 1780, dur- 
ing the absence of Washington, and was 
president of the court-martial that tried and 
condemned Major Andre. After General 
Gates' defeat at Camden, North Carolina, in 
the summer of 1780, General Greene was ap- 
pointed to the command of the southern army. 
He sent out a force under General Morgan 
who defeated General Tarleton at Cowpens, 
January 17, 178 1 . On joining his lieuten- 
ant, in February, he found himself out num- 
bered by the British and retreated in good 
order to Virginia, but being reinforced re- 
turned to North Carolina where he fought 
the battle of Guilford, and a few days later 
compelled the retreat of Lord Cornwallis. 
The British were followed by Greene part 
of the way, when the American army 
marched into South Carolina. After vary- 
ing success he fought the battle of Eutaw 
Springs, September 8, 1781. For the latter 
battle and its glorious consequences, which 
virtually closed the war in the Carolinas, 
Greene received a medal from Congress and 
many valuable grants of land from the 
colonies of North and South Carolina and 
Georgia. On the return of peace, after a 
year spent in Rhode Island, General Greene 
took up his residence on his estate near 
Savannah, Georgia, where he died June 19, 
1786. 

EDGAR ALLEN POE.— Among the 
many great literary men whom this 
country has produced, there is perhaps no 
name more widely known than that of Ed- 
gar Allen Poe. He was born at Boston, 
Massachusetts, February 19, 1809. His 
parents were David and Elizabeth (Arnold) 
Poe, both actors, the mother said to have 
been the natural daughter of Benedict Ar- 
nold. The parents died while Edgar was 



To 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY, 



still a child and he was adopted by John 
Allen, a wealthy and influential resident of 
Richmond, Virginia. Edgar was sent to 
school at Stoke, Newington, England, 
where he remained until he was thirteen 
years old; was prepared for college by pri- 
vate tutors, and in 1 826 entered the Virginia 
University at Charlottesville. He made 
rapid progress in his studies, and was dis- 
tinguished for his scholarship, but was ex- 
pelled within a year for gambling, after 
which for several years he resided with his 
benefactor at Richmond. He then went to 
Baltimore, and in 1829 published a 71 -page 
pamphlet called "Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane 
and Minor Poems," which, however, at- 
tracted no attention and contained nothing 
of particular merit. In 1830 he was ad- 
mitted as a cadet at West Point, but was 
expelled about a year later for irregulari- 
ties. Returning to the home of Mr. Allen 
he remained for some time, and finally 
quarrelled with his benefactor and enlisted 
as a private soldier in the U. S. army, but 
remained only a short time. Soon after 
this, in 1833, Poe won several prizes for 
literary work, and as a result secured the 
position of editor of trhe "Southern Liter- 
ary Messenger," at Richmond, Virginia. 
Here he married his cousin, Virginia 
Clemm, who clung to him with fond devo- 
tion through all the many trials that came 
to them until her death in January, 1848. 
Poe remained with the "Messenger" for 
several years, writing meanwhile many 
tales, reviews, essays and poems. He aft- 
erward earned a precarious living by his 
pen in New York for a time; in 1839 be- 
came editor of "Burton's Gentleman's 
Magazine" ; in 1840 to 1842 was editor of 
" Graham's Magazine," and drifted around 
from one place to another, returning to 
New York in 1844. In 1845 his best 



known production, "The Raven," appeared 
in the "Whig Review," and gained him a 
reputation which is now almost world-wide. 
He then acted as editor and contributor on 
various magazines and periodicals until the 
death of his faithful wife in 1848. In the 
summer of 1849 he was engaged to be mar- 
ried to a lady of fortune in Richmond, Vir- 
ginia, and the day set for the wedding. 
He started for New York to make prepara- 
tions for the event, but, it is said, began 
drinking, was attacked with dilirium tre- 
mens in Baltimore and was removed to a 
hospital, where he died, October 7, 1849. 
The works of Edgar Allen Poe have beer, 
repeatedly published since his death, both 
in Europe and America, and have attained 
an immense popularity. 



HORATIO GATES, one of the prom- 
inent figures in the American war for 
Independence, was not a native of the col- 
onies but was born in England in 1728. In 
early life he entered the British army and 
attained the rank of major. At the capture 
of Martinico he was aide to General Monk- 
ton and after the peace of Aix la Chapelle, 
in 1748, he was among the first troops that 
landed at Halifax. He was with Braddock 
at his defeat in 1755, and was there severe- 
ly wounded. At the conclusion of the 
French and Indian war Gates purchased an 
estate in Virginia, and, resigning from the 
British army, settled down to life as a 
planter. On the breaking out of the Rev- 
olutionary war he entered the service of the 
colonies and was made adjutant-general of 
the Continental forces with the rank o\ 
brigadier-general. He accompanied Wash- 
ington when he assumed the command ol 
the army. In June, 1776, he was appoint- 
ed to the command of the army of Canada, 
but was superseded in May of the following 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



year by General Schuyler. In August, 
1777, however, the command of that army 
was restored to General Gates and Septem- 
ber 19 he fought the battle of Bemis 
Heights. October 7, the same year, he 
won the battle of Stillwater, or Saratoga, 
and October 17 received the surrender of 
General Burgoyne and his army, the pivotal 
point of the war. This gave him a brilliant 
reputation. June 13, 1780, General Gates 
was appointed to the command of the 
southern military division, and August 16 of 
that year suffered defeat at the hands of 
Lord Cornwallis, at Camden, North Car- 
olina. In December following he was 
superseded in the command by General 
Nathaniel Greene. 

On the signing of the peace treaty Gen- 
eral Gates retired to his plantation in 
Berkeley county, Virginia, where he lived 
until 1790, when, emancipating all his 
slaves, he removed to New York City, where 
' he resided until his death, April 10, 1806. 



LYMAN J. GAGE.— When President Mc- 
Kinley selected Lyman J. Gage as sec- 
retary of the treasury he chose one of the 
most eminent financiers of the century. Mr. 
Gage was born June 28, 1836, at De Ruy- 
ter, Madison county, New York, and was of 
English descent. He went to Rome, New 
York, with his parents when he was ten 
years old, and received his early education 
in the Rome Academy. Mr. Gage gradu- 
ated from the same, and his first position 
was that of a clerk in the post office. When 
he was fifteen years of age he was detailed 
as mail agent on the Rome & Watertown 
R. R. until the postmaster-general appointed 
regular agents for the route. In 1854, when 
he was in his eighteenth year, he entered 
the Oneida Central Bank at Rome as a 
junior clerk at a salary of one hundred dol- 



lars per year. Being unable at the end of 
one year and a half's service to obtain an 
increase in salary he determined to seek a 
wider field of labor. Mr. Gage set out in 
the fall of 1855 and arrived in Chicago, 
Illinois, on October 3, and soon obtained a 
situation in Nathan Cobb's lumber yard and 
planing mill. He remained there three years 
as a bookkeeper, teamster, etc., and left on 
account of change in the management. But 
not being able to find anything else to do he 
accepted the position of night watchman in 
the place for a period of six weeks. He 
then became a bookkeeper for the Mer- 
chants Saving, Loan and Trust Company at 
a salary of five hundred dollars per year. 
He rapidly advanced in the service of this 
company and in 1868 he was made cashier. 
Mr. Gage was next offered the position of 
cashier of the First National Bank and ac- 
cepted the offer. He became the president 
of the First National Bank of Chicago Jan- 
uary 24, 1 89 1, and in 1897 he was appointed 
secretary of the treasury. His ability as a 
financier and the prominent part he took in 
the discussion of financial affairs while presi- 
dent of the great Chicago bank gave him a 
national reputation. 



ANDREW JACKSON, the seventh pres- 
ident of the United States, was born 
at the Waxhaw settlement, Union county, 
North Carolina, March 15, 1767. His 
parents were Scotch-Irish, natives of Carr- 
ickfergus, who came to this country in 1665 
and settled on Twelve-Mile creek, a trib- 
utary of the Catawba. His father, who 
was a poor farm laborer, died shortly be- 
fore Andrew's birth, when the mother re- 
moved to Waxhaw, where some relatives 
lived. Andrew's education was very limited, 
he showing no aptitude for study. In 1780 
when but thirteen years of age, he and his 



n 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



brother Robert volunteered to serve in the 
American partisan troops under General 
Sumter, and witnessed the defeat at Hang- 
ing Rock. The following year the boys 
were both taken prisoners by the enemy 
and endured brutal treatment from the 
British officers while confined at Camden. 
They both took the small pox, when the 
mother procured their exchange but Robert 
died shortly after. The mother died in 
Charleston of ship fever, the same year. 

Young Jackson, now in destitute cir- 
cumstances, worked for about six months in 
a saddler*s shop, and then turned school 
master, although but little fitted for the 
position. He now began to think of a pro- 
fession and at Salisbury, North Carolina, 
entered upon the study of law, but from all 
accounts gave but little attention to his 
books, being one of the most roistering, 
rollicking fellows in that town, indulging in 
many of the vices of his time. In 1786 he 
was admitted to the bar and in 1788 re- 
moved to Nashville, then in North Carolina, 
with the appointment of public prosecutor, 
then an office of little honor or emolument, 
but requiring much nerve, for which young 
Jackson was already noted. Two years 
later, when Tennessee became a territory 
he was appointed by Washington to the 
position of United States attorney for that 
district. In 1791 he married Mrs. Rachel 
Robards, a daughter of Colonel John Don- 
elson, who was supposed at the time to 
have been divorced from her former hus- 
band that year by act of legislature of Vir- 
ginia, but two years later, on finding that 
this divorce was not legal, and a new bill of 
separation being granted by the courts of 
Kentucky, they were remarried in 1793. 
This was used as a handle by his oppo- 
nents in the political campaign afterwards. 
Jackson was untiring in his efforts as United 



States attorney and obtained much influence. 
He was chosen a member of the Constitu- 
tional Convention of 1796, when Tennessee 
became a state and was its first represent- 
ative in congress. In 1797 he was chosen 
United States senator, but resigned the fol- 
lowing year to accept a seat on the supreme 
court of Tennessee which he held until 
1804. He was elected major-general of 
the militia of that state in 1801. In 1804, 
being unsuccessful in obtaining the govern- 
orship of Louisiana, the new territory, he 
retired from public life to the Hermitage, 
his plantation. On the outbreak of the 
war with Great Britain in 1812 he tendered 
his services to the government and went to 
New Orleans with the Tennessee troops in 
January, 181 3. In March of that year he 
was ordered to disband his troops, but later 
marched against the Cherokee Indians, de- 
feating them at Talladega, Emuckfaw 
and Tallapoosa. Having now a national 
reputation, he was appointed major-general 
in the United States army and was sent 
against the British in Florida. He con- 
ducted the defence of Mobile and seized 
Pensacola. He then went with his troops 
to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he gained 
the famous victory of January 8, 1815. In 
18x7-18 he conducted a war against the 
Seminoles, and in 1821 was made governor 
of the new territory of Florida. In 1823 
he was elected United States senator, but 
in 1 824 was the contestant with J. Q. Adams 
for the presidency. Four years later he 
was elected president, and served two terms. 
In 1832 he took vigorous action against the 
nullifiers of South Carolina, and the next 
year removed the public money from the 
United States bank. During his second 
term the national debt was extinguished. At 
the close of his administration he retired to 
the Hermitage, where he died June 8, 1845. 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



78 



ANDREW CARNEGIE, the largest manu- 
facturer of pig-iron, steel rails and 
coke in the world, well deserves a place 
among America's celebrated men. He was 
born November 25, 1835, at Dunfermline, 
Scotland, and emigrated to the United States 
with his father in 1845, settling in Pittsburg. 
Two years later Mr. Carnegie began his 
business career by attending a small station- 
ary engine. This work did not suit him and 
he became a telegraph messenger with the 
Atlantic and Ohio Co., and later he became 
an operator, and was one of the first to read 
telegraphic signals by sound. Mr. Carnegie 
was afterward sent to the Pittsburg office 
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., as clerk 
to the superintendent and manager of the 
telegraph lines. While in this position he 
made the acquaintance of Mr. Woodruff, the 
inventor of the sleeping-car. Mr. Carnegie 
immediately became interested and was one 
of the organizers of the company for its con- 
struction after the railroad had adopted it, 
and the success of this venture gave him the 
nucleus of his wealth. He was promoted 
to the superintendency of the Pittsburg 
division of the Pennsylvania Railroad and 
about this time was one of the syndicate 
that purchased the Storey farm on Oil Creek 
which cost forty thousand dollars and in one 
year it yielded over one million dollars in 
cash dividends. Mr. Carnegie later was as- 
sociated with others in establishing a rolling- 
mill, and from this has grown the most ex- 
tensive and complete system of iron and 
steel industries ever controlled by one indi- 
vidual, embracing the Edgar Thomson 
Steel Works; Pittsburg Bessemer Steel 
Works; Lucy Furnaces; Union Iron Mills; 
Union Mill; Keystone Bridge Works; Hart- 
man. Steel Works; Frick Coke Co.; Scotia 
Ore Mines. Besides directing his immense 
iron industries he owned eighteen English 



newspapers which he ran in the interest o: 
the Radicals. He has also devoted large 
sums of money to benevolent and educational 
purposes. In 1879 he erected commodious 
swimming baths for the people of Dunferm- 
line, Scotland, and in the following year 
gave forty thousand dollars for a free library. 
Mr. Carnegie gave fifty thousand dollars to 
Bellevue Hospital Medical College in 1884 
to found what is now called "Carnegie Lab- 
oratory," and in 1885 gave five hundred 
thousand dollars to Pittsburg for a public 
library. He also gave two hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars for a music hall and library 
in Allegheny City in 1886, and two hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars to Edinburgh, Scot- 
land, for a free library. He also established 
free libraries at Braddock, Pennsylvania, 
and other places for the benefit of his em- 
ployes. He also published the following 
works, "An American Four-in-hand in 
Britain;" "Round the World;" "Trium- 
phant Democracy; or Fifty Years' March of 
the Republic." 



GEORGE H. THOMAS, the " Rock of 
Chickamauga," one of the best known 
commanders during the late Civil war, was 
born in Southampton county, Virginia, July 
31, 1 8 16, his parents being of Welsh and 
French origin respectively. In 1836 young 
Thomas was appointed a cadet at the Mili- 
tary Academy, at West Point, from which 
he graduated in 1840, and was promoted to 
the office of second lieutenant in the Third 
Artillery. Shortly after, with his company, 
he went to Florida, where he served for two 
years against the Seminole Indians. In 
1 84 1 he was brevetted first lieutenant for 
gallant conduct. He remained in garrison 
in the south and southwest until 1845, at 
which date with the regiment he joined the 
army under General Taylor, and participat- 



74 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



ed yz +he defense of Fort Brown, the storm- 
ing of Monterey and the battle of Buena 
Vista. After the latter event he remained 
in garrison, now brevetted major, until the 
close of the Mexican war. After a year 
spent in Florida, Captain Thomas was or- 
dered to West Point, where he served as in- 
structor until 1854. He then was trans- 
ferred to California. In May, 1855, Thom- 
as was appointed major of the Second Cav- 
alry, with whom he spent five years in Texas. 
Although a southern man, and surrounded 
by brother officers who all were afterwards 
tn the Confederate service, Major Thomas 
never swerved from his allegiance to the 
government. A. S. Johnston was the col- 
onel of the regiment, R. E. Lee the lieuten- 
ant-colonel, and W. J. Hardee, senior ma- 
jor, while among the younger officers were 
Hood, Fitz Hugh Lee, Van Dorn and Kirby 
Smith. When these officers left the regi- 
ment to take up arms for the Confederate 
cause he remained with it, and April 17th, 
1 86 1, crossed the Potomac into his native 
state, at its head. After taking an active part 
in the opening scenes of the war on the Poto- 
mac and Shenandoah, in August, 1861, he 
was promoted to be brigadier-general and 
transferred to the Army of the Cumberland. 
January 19-20, 1862, Thomas defeated 
Crittenden at Mill Springs, and this brought 
him into notice and laid the foundation of 
his fame. He continued in command of his 
division until September 20, 1862, except 
during the Corinth campaign when he com- 
manded the right wing of the Army of the 
Tennessee. He was in command of the 
latter at the battle of Perryville, also, Octo- 
ber 8, 1862. 

On the division of the Army of the Cum- 
berland into corps, January 9, 1863, Gen- 
eral Thomas was assigned to the command 
of the Fourteenth, and at the battle of Chick- 



amauga, after the retreat of Rosecrans ; 
firmly held his own against the hosts of Gen- 
eral Bragg. A history of his services from 
that on would be a history of the war in the 
southwest. On September 27, 1864, Gen- 
eral Thomas was given command in Ten- 
nessee, and after organizing his army, de- 
feated General Hood in the battle of Nash- 
ville, December 15 and 16, 1864. Much 
complaint was made before this on account 
of what they termed Thomas' slowness, and 
he was about to be superseded because he 
would not strike until he got ready, but 
when the blow was struck General Grant 
was the first to place on record this vindica- 
tion of Thomas' judgment. He received a 
vote of thanks from Congress, and from the 
legislature of Tennessee a gold medal. Af- 
ter the close of the war General Thomas 
had command of several of the military di- 
visions, and died at San Francisco, Cali- 
fornia, March 28, 1870. 



GEORGE BANCROFT, one of the most 
eminent American historians, was a 
native of Massachusetts, born at Worcester, 
October 3, 1800, and a son of Aaron 
Bancroft, D. D. The father, Aaron Ban- 
croft, was born at Reading, Massachusetts, 
November 10, 1755. He graduated at 
Harvard in 1778, became a minister, and for 
half a century was rated as one of the ablest 
preachers in New England. He was also a 
prolific writer and published a number of 
works among which was " Life of George 
Washington." Aaron Bancroft died August 
19, 1839. 

The subject of our present biography, 
George Bancroft, graduated at Harvard in 
1817, and the following year entered the 
University of Gottingen, where he studied 
history and philology under the most emi- 
nent teachers, and in 1820 received the de- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



75 



gree of doctor of philosophy at Gottingen. 
Upon his return home he published a volume 
of poems, and later a translation of Heeren's 
" Reflections on the Politics of Ancient 
Greece." In 1834 he produced the first 
volume of his " History of the United 
States," this being followed by other vol- 
umes at different intervals later. This was 
bis greatest work and ranks as the highest 
authority, taking its place among the great- 
est of American productions. 

George Bancroft was appointed secretary 
of the navy by President Polk in 1845, but 
resigned in 1846 and became minister pleni- 
potentiary to England. In 1849 he retired 
from public life and took up his residence at 
Washington, D. C. In 1867 he was ap- 
pointed United States minister to the court of 
Berlin and negotiated thetreatyby which Ger- 
mans coming to the United States were re- 
leased from their allegiance to the govern- 
ment of their native land. In 1871 he was 
minister plenipotentiary to the German em- 
pire and served until 1874. The death of 
George Bancroft occurred January 17, 1891. 



GEORGE GORDON MEADE, a fa- 
mous Union general, was born at 
Cadiz, Spain, December 30, 1815, his father 
being United States naval agent at that 
port. After receiving a good education he 
entered the West Point Military Academy 
in 1 83 1. From here he was graduated 
June 30, 1835, and received the rank of 
second lieutenant of artillery. He par- 
ticipated in the Seminole war, but resigned 
from the army in October, 1836. He en- 
tered upon the profession of civil engineer, 
which he followed for several years, part of 
the time in the service of the government in 
making surveys of the mouth of the Missis- 
sippi river. His report and results of some 
experiments made by him in this service 



gained Meade much credit. He also was 
employed in surveying the boundary line of 
Texas and the northeastern boundary line 
between the United States and Canada. 
In 1842 he was reappointed in the army to 
the position of second lieutenant of engineers. 
During the Mexican war he served with dis- 
tinction on the staff of General Taylor in 
the battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma 
and the storming of Monterey. He received 
his brevet of first lieutenant for the latter 
action. In 1 8 5 1 he was made full first 
lieutenant in his corps; a captain in 1856, 
and major soon after. At the close of the 
war with Mexico he was employed in light- 
house construction and in geodetic surveys 
until the breaking out of the Rebellion, in 
which he gained great reputation. In 
August, 1 861 , he was made brigadier-general 
of volunteers and placed in command of the 
second brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves, 
a division of the First Corps in the Army of 
the Potomac. In the campaign of 1862, 
under McClellan, Meade took an active 
part, being present at the battles of Mechan- 
icsville, Gaines' Mill and Glendale, in the 
latter of which he was severely wounded. 
On rejoining his command he was given a 
division and distinguished himself at its head 
in the battles of South Mountain and Antie- 
tam. During the latter, on the wounding 
of General Hooker, Meade was placed in 
command of the corps and was himself 
slightly wounded. For services he was 
promoted, November, 1862, to the rank 
of major-general of volunteers. On the 
recovery of General Hooker General Meade 
returned to his division and in December, 
1862, at Fredericksburg, led an attack 
which penetrated Lee's right line and swept 
to his rear. Being outnumbered and un- 
supported, he finally was driven back. The 
same month Meade was assigned to the 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



command of the Fifth Corps, and at Chan- 
cellorsville in May, 1863, his sagacity and 
ability so struck General Hooker that when 
the latter asked to be relieved of the com- 
mand, in June of the same year, he nomi- 
nated Meade as his successor. June 28, 
1863, President Lincoln commissioned Gen- 
eral Meade commander-in-chief of the Army 
of the Potomac, then scattered and moving 
hastily through Pennsylvania to the great 
and decisive battlefield at Gettysburg, at 
which he was in full command. With the 
victory on those July days the name of 
Meade will ever be associated. From that 
time until the close of the war he com- 
manded the Army of the Potomac. In 
1864 General Grant, being placed at the 
head of all the armies, took up his quarters 
with the Army of the Potomac. From that 
time until the surrender of Lee at Appo- 
matox Meade's ability shone conspicuously, 
and his tact in the delicate position in lead- 
ing his army under the eye of his superior 
officer commanded the respect and esteem 
of General Grant. For services Meade was 
promoted to the rank of major-general, and 
on the close of hostilities, in July, 1865, 
was assigned to the command of the military 
division of the Atlantic, with headquarters 
at Philadelphia. This post he held, with 
the exception of a short period on detached 
duty in Georgia, until his death, which took 
place November 6, 1872. 



DAVID CROCKETT was a noted hunter 
and scout, and also one of the earliest 
of American humorists. He was born Au- 
gust 17, 1786, in Tennessee, and was one 
of the most prominent men of his locality, 
serving as representative in congress from 
1827 until 1 83 1. He attracted consider- 
able notice while a member of congress and 
was closely associated with General Jack- 



son, of whom he was a personal friend. He 
went to Texas and enlisted in the Texan 
army at the time of the revolt of Texas 
against Mexico and gained a wide reputa- 
tion as a scout. He was one of the famous 
one hundred and forty men under Colonel 
W. B. Travis who were besieged in Fort 
Alamo, near San Antonio, Texas, by Gen- 
eral Santa Anna with some five thousand 
Mexicans on February 23, 1836. The fort 
was defended for ten days, frequent assaults 
being repelled with great slaughter, over 
one thousand Mexicans being killed or 
wounded, while not a man in the fort was 
injured. Finally, on March 6, three as- 
saults were made, and in the hand-to-hand 
fight that followed the last, the Texans were 
wofully outnumbered and overpowered. 
They fought desperately with clubbed mus- 
kets till only six were left alive, including 
W. B. Travis, David Crockett and James 
Bowie. These surrendered under promise 
of protection; but when they were brought 
before Santa Anna he ordered them all to 
be cut to pieces. 



HENRY WATTERSON, one of the most 
conspicuous figures in the history of 
American journalism, was born at Wash- 
ington, District of Columbia, February 16, 
1840. His boyhood days were mostly spent 
in the city of his birth, where his father, 
Harvey M. Watterson, was editor of the 
"Union," a well known journal. 

Owing to a weakness of the eyes, which 
interfered with a systematic course of study, 
young Watterson was educated almost en- 
tirely at home. A successful college career 
was out of the question, but he acquired a 
good knowledge of music, literature and art 
from private tutors, but the most valuable 
part of the training he received was by as- 
sociating with his father and the throng ot 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAI'I/y. 



77 



public men whom he met in Washington 
in the stirring days immediately preceding 
the Civil war. He began his journalistic 
career at an early age as dramatic and 
musical critic, and in 1858, became editor 
of the "Democratic Review" and at the 
same time contributed to the "States," 
a journal of liberal opinions published in 
Washington. In this he remained until 
the breaking out of the war, when the 
"States," opposing the administration, was 
suppressed, and young Watterson removed 
to Tennessee. He next appears as editor 
of the Nashville "Republican Banner," the 
most influential paper in the state at that 
time. After the occupation of Nashville by 
the Federal troops, Watterson served as a 
volunteer staff officer in the Confederate 
service until the close of the war, with the 
exception of a year spent in editing the 
Chattanooga "Rebel." On the close of 
the war he returned to Nashville and re- 
sumed his connection with the "Banner." 
After a trip to Europe he assumed control 
of the Louisville "Journal," which he soon 
combined with the "Courier" and the 
"Democrat" of that place, founding the 
well-known "Courier-Journal," the first 
number of which appeared November 8, 
1868. Mr. Watterson also represented his 
district in congress for several years. 



PATRICK SARSFIELD GILMORE, 
one of the most successful and widely 
known bandmasters and musicians of the 
last half century in America, was born in 
Ballygar, Ireland, on Christmas day, 1829. 
He attended a public school until appren- 
ticed to a wholesale merchant at Athlone, 
of the brass band of which town he soon 
became a member. His passion for music 
conflicting with the duties of a mercantile 
life, his position as clerk was exchanged for 



that of musical instructor to the young sons 
of his employer. At the age of nineteen he 
sailed for America and two days after his 
arrival in Boston was put in charge of the 
band instrument department of a prominent 
music house. In the interests of the pub- 
lications of this house he organized a minstrel 
company known as " Ord way's Eolians," 
with which he first achieved success as a 
cornet soloist. Later on he was called the 
best E-flat cornetist in the United States. 
He became leader, successively, of the Suf- 
folk, Boston Brigade and Salem bands. 
During his connection with the latter he 
inaugurated the famous Fourth of July con- 
certs on Boston Common, since adopted as 
a regular programme for the celebration of 
Independence Day. In 1858 Mr. Gilmore 
founded the organization famous thereafter 
as Gilmore's Band. At the outbreak of the 
Civil war this band was attached to the 
Twenty-Fourth .Massachusetts Infantry. 
Later, when the economical policy of dis- 
pensing with music had proved a mistake, 
Gilmore was entrusted with the re-organiza- 
tion of state military bands, and upon his 
arrival at New Orleans with his own band 
was made bandmaster-general by General 
Banks. On the inauguration of Governor 
Hahn, later on, in Lafayette square, New 
Orleans, ten thousand children, mostly of 
Confederate parents, rose to the baton of 
Gilmore and, accompanied by six hundred 
instruments, thirty-six guns and the united 
fire of three regiments of infantry, sang the 
Star-Spangled Banner, America and other 
patriotic Union airs. In June, 1867, Mr. 
Gilmore conceived a national musical festi- 
val, which was denounced as a chimerical 
undertaking, but he succeeded and June 15. 
1869, stepped upon the stage of the Boston 
Colosseum, a vast structure erected for the 
occasion, and in the presence of over fifty 



78 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



thousand people lifted his baton over an 
orchestra of one thousand and a chorus of 
ten thousand. On the 17th of June, 1872, 
he opened a still greater festival in Boston, 
when, in addition to an orchestra of two 
thousand and a chorus of twenty thousand, 
were present the Band of the Grenadier 
Guards, of London, of the Garde Repub- 
licans, of Paris, of Kaiser Franz, of Berlin, 
and one from Dublin, Ireland, together with 
Johann Strauss, Franz Abt and-many other 
soloists, vocal and instrumental. Gilmore's 
death occurred September 24, 1892. 



MARTIN VAN BUREN was the eighth 
president of the United States, 1837 
to 1 84 1. He was of Dutch extraction, and 
his ancestors were among the earliest set- 
tlers on the banks of the Hudson. He was 
born December 5, 1782, at Kinderhook, 
New York. Mr. Van Buren took up the 
study of law at the age of fourteen and took 
an active part in political matters before he 
had attained his majority. He commenced 
the practice of law in 1803 at his native 
town, and in 1809 he removed to Hudson, 
Columbia county, New York, where he 
spent seven years gaining strength and wis- 
dom from his contentions at the bar with 
some of the ablest men of the profession. 
Mr. Van Buren was elected to the state 
senate, and from 181 5 until 18 19 he was at- 
torney-general of the state. He was re- 
elected to the senate in 18 16, and in 18 18 
he was one of the famous clique of politi- 
cians known as the "Albany regency." 
Mr. Van Buren was a member of the con- 
vention for the revision of the state consti- 
tution, in 1 82 1. In the same year he was 
elected to the United States senate and 
served his term in a manner that caused his 
re-election to that body in 1827, but re- 
signed the following year as he had been 



elected governor of New York. Mr. Van 
Buren was appointed by President Jackson as 
secretary of state in March, 1829, but resigned 
in 1 83 1, and during the recess of congress 
he was appointed minister to England. 
The senate, however, when it convened in 
December refused to ratify the appointment. 
In May, 1832, he was nominated by the 
Democrats as their candidate for vice-presi- 
dent on the ticket with Andrew Jackson, 
and he was elected in the following Novem- 
ber. He received the nomination to suc- 
ceed President Jackson in 1-836, as the 
Democratic candidate, and in the electoral 
college he received one hundred and seventy 
votes out of two hundred and eighty-three, 
and was inaugurated March 4, 1837. His 
administration was begun at a time of great 
business depression, and unparalled financial 
distress, which caused the suspension of 
specie payments by the banks. Nearly 
every bank in the country was forced to 
suspend specie payment, and no less than 
two hundred and fifty-four business houses 
failed in New York in one week. The 
President urged the adoption of the inde- 
pendent treasury idea, which passed through 
the senate twice but each time it was de- 
feated in the house. However the measure 
ultimately became a law near the close of 
President Van Buren's term of office. An- 
other important measure that was passed 
was the pre-emption law that gave the act- 
ual settlers preference in the purchase of 
public lands. The question of slavery had 
begun to assume great preponderance dur- 
ing this administration, and a great conflict 
was tided over by the passage of a resolu- 
tion that prohibited petitions or papers that 
in any way related to slavery to be acted 
upon. In the Democratic convention of 
1840 President Van Buren secured the 
nomination for re-election on that ticket 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIir. 



79 



without opposition, but in the election he 
only received the votes of seven states, his 
opponent, W. H. Harrison, being elected 
president. In 1S48 Mr. Van Buren was 
the candidate of the " Free-Soilers," but 
was unsuccessful. After this he retired 
from public life and spent the remainder of 
his life on his estate at Kinderhook, where 
he died July 24, 1862. 



W INFIELD SCOTT, a distinguished 
American general, was born June 13, 
1786, near Petersburg, Dinwiddie county, 
Virginia, and was educated at the William 
and Mary College. He studied law and was 
admitted to the bar, and in 1808 he accepted 
an appointment as captain of light artillery, 
and was ordered to New Orleans. In June, 

1 812, he was promoted to be lieutenant- 
colonel, and on application was sent to the 
frontier, and reported to General Smyth, 
near Buffalo. He was made adjutant-gen- 
eral with the rank of a colonel, in March, 

1 8 1 3, and the same month attained the colo- 
nelcy of his regiment. He participated in 
the principal battles of the war and was 
wounded many times, and at the close of 
the war he was voted a gold medal by con- 
gress for his services. He was a writer of 
considerable merit on military topics, and 
he gave to the military science, "General 
Regulations of the Army " and " System of 
Infantry and Rifle Practice." He took a 
prominent part in the Black Hawk war, 
and at the beginning of the Mexican war he 
was appointed to take the command of the 
army. Gen. Scott immediately assembled 
his troops at Lobos Island from which he 
moved by transports to Vera Cruz, which 
he took March 29, 1847, and rapidly "fol- 
lowed up his first success. He fought the 
battles of Cerro Gordo and Jalapa, both of 
which he won, and proceeded to Pueblo 



where he was preceded by Worth's division 
which had taken the town and waited for the 
coming of Scott. The army was forced to 
wait here for supplies, and August 7th, 
General Scott started on his victorious 
march to the city of Mexico with ten thou- 
sand, seven hundred and thirty-eight men. 
The battles of Contreras, Cherubusco and 
San Antonio were fought August 19-20, 
and on the 24th an armistice was agreed 
upon, but as the commissioners could not 
agree on the terms of settlement, the fight- 
ing was renewed at Molino Del Rey, and 
the Heights of Chapultepec were carried 
by the victorious army of General Scott. 
He gave the enemy no respite, however, 
and vigorously followed up his advantages. 
On September 14, he entered the City of 
Mexico and dictated the terms of surrender 
in the very heart of the Mexican Republic. 
General Scott was offered the presidency of 
the Mexican Republic, but declined. Con- 
gress extended him a vote of thanks and 
ordered a gold medal be struck in honor of 
his generalship and bravery. He was can- 
didate for the presidency on the Whig plat 
form but was defeated. He was honored by 
having the title of lieutenant-general con- 
ferred upon him in 1 8 5 5 . At the beginning of 
the Civil war he was too infirm to take charge 
of the army, but did signal service in be- 
half of the government. He retired from 
the service November 1, 1861, and in 1864 
he published his "Autobiography." Gen- 
eral Scott died at West Point, May 29, 1 866 



EDWARD EVERETT HALE for many 
years occupied a high place among the 
most honored of America's citizens. As 
a preacher he ranks among the foremost 
in the New England states, but to the gen 
eral public he is best known through his 
writings. Born in Boston, Mass., April 3, 



90 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



1822, a descendant of one of the most 
prominent New England families, he enjoyed 
in his youth many of the advantages denied 
the majority of boys. He received his pre- 
paratory schooling at the Boston Latin 
School, after which he finished his studies at 
Harvard where he was graduated with high 
honors in 1839. Having studied theology 
at home, Mr. Hale embraced the ministry 
and in 1846 became pastor of a Unitarian 
church in Worcester, Massachusetts, a post 
which he occupied about ten years. He 
then, in 1856, became pastor of the South 
Congregational church in Boston, over which 
he presided many years. 

Mr. Hale also found time to write a 
great many literary works of a high class. 
Among many other well-known productions 
5f his are " The Rosary," " Margaret Per- 
cival in America," "Sketches of Christian 
iistory," "Kansas and Nebraska," "Let- 
ters on Irish Emigration," " Ninety Days' 
Worth of Europe," " If, Yes, and Perhaps," 
"Ingham Papers," "Reformation," "Level 
Best and Other Stories, " ' ' Ups and Downs, " 
"Christmas Eve and Christmas Day," " In 
His Name," "Our New Crusade," "Work- 
ingmen's Homes," " Boys' Heroes," etc., 
etc., besides many others which might be 
mentioned. One of his works, "In His 
Name," has earned itself enduring fame by 
the good deeds it has called forth. The 
numerous associations known as ' 'The King's 
Daughters," which has accomplished much 
good, owe their existence to the story men- 
tioned. 

DAVID GLASCOE FARRAGUT stands 
pre-eminent as one of the greatest na- 
val officers of the world. He was born at 
Campbell's Station, East Tennessee, July 
5, 1 801, and entered the navy of the United 
States as a midshipman. He had the good 



fortune to serve under Captain David Por- 
ter, who commanded the " Essex," and by 
whom he was taught the ideas of devotion 
to duty from which he never swerved dur- 
ing all his career. In 1823 Mr. Farragut 
took part in a severe fight, the result of 
which was the suppression of piracy in the 
West Indies. He then entered upon the 
regular duties of his profession which was 
only broken into by a year's residence with 
Charles Folsom, our consul at Tunis, who 
was afterwards a distinguished professor at 
Harvard. Mr. Farragut was one of the best 
linguists in the navy. He had risen through 
the different grades of the service until the 
war of 1861-65 found him a captain resid- 
ing at Norfolk, Virginia. He removed with 
his family to Hastings, on the Hudson, and 
hastened to offer his services to the Federal 
government, and as the capture of New 
Orleans had been resolved upon, Farragut 
was chosen to command the expedition. 
His force consisted of the West Gulf block- 
ading squadron and Porter's mortar flotilla. 
In January, 1862, he hoisted his pennant at 
the mizzen peak of the "Hartford" at 
Hampton roads, set sail from thence on the 
3rd of February and reached Ship Island on 
the 20th of the same month. A council of 
war was held on the 20th of April, in which 
it was decided that whatever was to be done 
must be done quickly. The signal was made 
from the flagship and accordingly the fleet 
weighed anchor at 1:55 on the morning of 
April 24th, and at 3:30 the whole force was 
under way. The history of this brilliant strug- 
gle is well known, and the glory ofit made Far- 
ragut a hero and also made him rear admir- 
al. In the summer of 1 862 he ran the batteries 
at Vicksburg, and on March 14, 1863, he 
passed through the fearful and destructive 
fire from Port Hudson, and opened up com- 
munication with Flag-officer Porter, who 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



N 



had control of the upper Mississippi. On 
May 24th he commenced active operations 
against that fort in conjunction with the army 
and it fell on July 9th. Mr. Farragut filled 
the measure of his fame on the 5th of Au- 
gust, 1864, by his great victory, the capture 
of Mobile Bay and the destruction of the 
Confederate fleet, including the formidable 
ram Tennessee. For this victory the rank 
of admiral was given to Mr. Farragut. He 
died at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Au- 
gust 4, 1870. 

GEORGE W. CHILDS, a philanthropist 
whose remarkable personality stood 
for the best and highest type of American 
citizenship, and whose whole life was an 
object lesson in noble living, was born in 
1829 at Baltimore, Maryland, of humble 
parents, and spent his early life in unremit- 
ting toil. He was a self-made man in the 
fullest sense of the word, and gained his 
great wealth by his own efforts. He was a 
man of very great influence, and this, in 
conjunction with his wealth, would have 
been, in the hands of other men, a means of 
getting them political preferment, but Mr. 
Childs steadily declined any suggestions that 
would bring him to figure prominently in 
public affairs. He did not choose to found 
a financial dynasty, but devoted all his 
powers to the helping of others, with the 
most enlightened beneficence and broadest 
sympathy. Mr. Childs once remarked that 
his greatest pleasure in life was in doing 
good to others. He always despised mean- 
ness, and one of his objects of life was to 
prove that a man could be liberal and suc- 
cessful at the same time. Upon these lines 
Mr. Childs made a name for himself as the 
director of one of the representative news- 
papers of America, "The Philadelphia Pub- 
lic Ledger," which was owned jointly by 
5 



himself and the Drexel estate, and which he 
edited for thirty years. He acquired con- 
trol of the paper at a time when it was be- 
ing published at a heavy loss, set it upon a 
firm basis of prosperity, and he made it 
more than a money-making machine — he 
made it respected as an exponent of the 
best side of journalism, and it stands as a 
monument to his sound judgment and up- 
right business principles. Mr. Childs' char- 
itable repute brought him many applications 
for assistance, and he never refused to help 
any one that was deserving of aid; and not 
only did he help those who asked, but he 
would by careful inquiry find those who 
needed aid but were too proud to solicit it. 
He was a considerable employer of labor 
and his liberality was almost unparalleled. 
The death of this great and good man oc- 
curred February 3d, 1894. 



PATRICK" HENRY won his way to un- 
dying fame in the annals of the early 
history of the United States by introducing 
into the house of burgesses his famous reso- 
lution against the Stamp Act, which he car- 
ried through, after a stormy debate, by a 
majority of one. At this time he exclaimed 
" Caesar had his Brutus, Charles I his Crom r 
well and George III " (here he was inter- 
rupted by cries of " treason ") " may profit 
by their example. If this be treason make 
the most of it." 

Patrick Henry was born at Studley, 
Hanover county, Virginia, May 29, 1736, 
and was a son of Colonel John Henry, a 
magistrate and school teacher of Aberdeen, 
Scotland, and a nephew of Robertson, the 
historian. He received his education from 
his father, and was married at the age of 
eighteen. He was twice bankrupted before 
he had reached his twenty-fourth year, when 
after six weeks of study he was admitted to 



84 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



the bar. He worked for three years with- 
out a case and finally was applauded for his 
plea for the people's rights and gained im- 
mense popularity. After his famous Stamp 
Act resolution he was the leader of the pa- 
triots in Virginia. In 1769 he was admitted 
to practice in the general courts and speed- 
ily won a fortune by his distinguished ability 
as a speaker. He was the first speaker of 
the General Congress at Philadelphia in 
1774. He was for a time a colonel of 
militiain 1775, and from 1776 to 1779 and 
1 78 1 to 1786 he was governor of Virginia. 
For a number of years he retired from pub- 
lic life and was tendered and declined a 
number of important political offices, and in 
March, 1789, he was elected state senator 
but did not take his seat on account of his 
death which occurred at Red Hill, Charlotte 
county, Virginia, June 6, 1799. 



BENEDICT ARNOLD, an American 
general and traitor of the Revolution- 
ary war, is one of the noted characters in 
American history. He was born in Nor- 
wich, Connecticut, January 3, 1740. He 
ran away and enlisted in the army when 
young, but deserted in a short time. He 
then became a merchant at New Haven, 
Connecticut, but failed. In 1775 he was 
commissioned colonel in the Massachusetts 
militia, and in the autumn of that year was 
placed in command of one thousand men 
for the invasion of Canada. He marched 
his army through the forests of Maine and 
joined General Montgomery before Quebec. 
Their combined forces attacked that city on 
December 31, 1775, and Montgomery was 
killed, and Arnold, severely wounded, was 
compelled to retreat and endure a rigorous 
winter a few miles from the city, where they 
were at the mercy of the Canadian troops 
had they cared to attack them. On his re- 



turn he was raised to the rank of brigadier- 
general. He was given command of a small 
flotilla on Lake Champlain, with which he 
encountered an immense force, and though 
defeated, performed many deeds of valor. 
He resented the action of congress in pro- 
moting a number of his fellow officers and 
neglecting himself. In 1777 he was made 
major-general, and under General Gates at 
Bemis Heights fought valiantly. For some 
reason General Gates found fault with his 
conduct and ordered him under arrest, and 
he was kept in his tent until the battle of 
Stillwater was waxing hot, when Arnold 
mounted his horse and rode to the front of 
his old troop, gave command to charge, and 
rode like a mad man into the thickest of 
the fight and was not overtaken by Gates' 
courier until he had routed the enemy and 
fell wounded. Upon his recovery he was 
made general, and was placed in command 
at Philadelphia. Here he married, and his 
acts of rapacity soon resulted in a court- 
martial. He was sentenced to be repri- 
manded by the commander-in-chief, and 
though Washington performed this duty 
with utmost delicacy and consideration, it 
was never forgiven. Arnold obtained com- 
mand at West Point, the most important 
post held by the Americans, in 1780, and 
immediately offered to surrender it to Sir 
Henry Clinton, British commander at New 
York. Major Andre was sent to arrange 
details with Arnold, but on his return trip 
to New York he was captured by Americans, 
the plot was detected, and Andre suffered 
the death penalty as a spy. Arnold es- 
caped, and was paid about $40,000 by the 
British for his treason and was made briga- 
dier-general. He afterward commanded an 
expedition that plundered a portion of Vir- 
ginia, and another th-at burned New Lon- 
don, Connecticut, and captured Fort Trum- 



C OMPENDIUM OF BIO G R. M'llV. 



85 



bull, the commandant of which Arnold mur- 
dered with the sword he had just surren- 
dered. He passed the latter part of his life 
in England, universally despised, and died 
in London June 14, 1801. 



ROBERT G. INGERSOLL, one of the 
most brilliant orators that America has 
produced, also a lawyer of considerable 
merit, won most of his fame as a lecturer. 
Mr. Ingersoll was born August 24, 1833, 
at Dryden, Gates county, New York, and 
received his education in the common schools. 
He went west at the age of twelve, and for 
a short time he attended an academy in 
Tennessee, and also taught school in that 
state. He began the practice of law in the 
southern part of Illinois in 1854. Colonel 
Ingersoll's principal fame was made in 
the lecture room by his lectures in which he 
ridiculed religious faith and creeds and criti- 
cised the Bible and the Christian religion. 
He was the orator of the day in the Decora- 
tion Day celebration in the city of New York 
in 1882 and his oration was widely com- 
mended. He first attracted political notice 
in the convention at Cincinnati in 1876 by 
his brilliant eulogy on James G. Blaine. He 
practiced law in Peoria, Illinois, for a num- 
ber of years, but later located in the city of 
New York. He published the follow- 
ing: "The Gods and other Lectures;" "The 
Ghosts;" "Some Mistakes of Moses;" 
"What Shall I Do To Be Saved;" " Inter- 
views on Talmage and Presbyterian Cate- 
chism;" The "North American Review 
Controversy;" "Prose Poems;" " A Vision 
of War;" etc. 



JOSEPH ECCLESTON JOHNSTON, 
<j a noted general in the Confederate army, 
was born in Prince Edward county, Virginia, 
in 1807. He graduated from West Point 



and entered the army in 1829. For a num- 
ber of years his chief service was garrison 
duty. He saw active service, however, in 
the Seminole war in Florida, part of the 
time as a staff officer of General Scott. He 
resigned his commission in 1837, but re- 
turned to the army a year later, and was 
brevetted captain for gallant services in 
Florida. He was made first lieutenant of 
topographical engineers, and was engaged 
in river and harbor improvements and also 
in the survey of the Texas boundary and 
the northern boundary of the United 
States until the beginning of the war 
with Mexico. He was at the siege of Vera 
Cruz, and at the battle of Cerro Gordo was 
wounded while reconnoitering the enemy's 
position, after which he was brevetted major 
and colonel. He was in all the battles about 
the city of Mexico, and was again wounded 
in the final assault upon that city. After 
the Mexican war closed he returned to duty 
as captain of topographical engineers, but 
in 1855 he was made lieutenant-colonel of 
cavalry and did frontier duty, and was ap- 
pointed inspector-general of the expedition 
to Utah. In i860 he was appointed quar- 
termaster-general with rank of brigadier- 
general. At the outbreak of hostilities in 
1 86 1 he resigned his commission and re- 
ceived the appointment of major-general of 
the Confederate army. He held Harper's 
Ferry, and later fought General Patterson 
about Winchester. At the battle of Bull 
Run he declined command in favor of Beau- 
regard, and acted under that general's direc- 
tions. He commanded the Confederates in 
the famous Peninsular campaign, and was 
severely wounded at Fair Oaks and was 
succeeded in command by General Lee. 
Upon his recovery he was made lieutenant- 
general and assigned to the command of the 
southwestern department. He attempted 



86 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



to raise the siege of Vicksburg, and was 
finally defeated at Jackson, Mississippi. 
Having been made a general he succeeded 
General Bragg in command of the army of 
Tennessee and was ordered to check General 
Sherman's advance upon Atlanta. Not 
daring to risk a battle with the overwhelm- 
ing forces of Sherman, he slowly retreated 
toward Atlanta, and was relieved of com- 
mand by Fresident Davis and succeeded by 
General Hood. Hood utterly destroyed his 
own army by three furious attacks upon 
Sherman. Johnston was restored to com- 
mand in the Carolinas, and again faced 
Sherman, but was defeated in several en- 
gagements and continued a slow retreat 
toward Richmond. Hearing of Lee's sur- 
render, he communicated with General 
Sherman, and finally surrendered his army 
at Durham, North Carolina, April 26, 1865. 
General Johnston was elected a member 
of the forty-sixth congress and was ap- 
pointed United States railroad commis- 
sioner in 1885. His death occurred March 

21, I 89 1. 

SAMUEL LANGHORNE CLEMENS, 
known throughout the civilized world 
as "Mark Twain," is recognized as one of 
the greatest humorists America has pro- 
duced. He was born in Monroe county, 
Missouri, November 30, 1835. Hespenthis 
boyhood days in his native state and many 
of his earlier experiences are related in vari- 
ous forms in his later writings. One of his 
early acquaintances, Capt. Isaiah Sellers, 
at an early day furnished river news for the 
New Orleans " Picayune," using the nom- 
dc- plume of "Mark Twain." Sellers died 
in 1863 and Clemens took up his nom-de- 
plume and made it famous throughout the 
world by his literary work. In 1862 Mr. 
Clemens became a journalist at Virginia, 



Nevada, and afterward followed the same pro- 
fession at San Francisco and Buffalo, New 
York. He accumulated a fortune from the 
sale of his many publications, but in later 
years engaged in business enterprises, partic- 
ularly the manufacture of a typesetting ma- 
chine, which dissipated his fortune and re- 
duced him almost to poverty , but with resolute 
heart he at once again took up his pen and 
engaged in literary work in the effort to 
regain his lost ground. Among the best 
known of his works may be mentioned the fol- 
lowing: ' ' The Jumping Frog, " ' ' Tom Saw- 
yer," " Roughingit," " Innocents Abroad," 
"Huckleberry Finn," "Gilded Age," 
"Prince and Pauper," "Million Pound 
Bank Note," "A Yankee in King Arthur's 
Court," etc. 

CHRISTOPHER CARSON, better 
known as "Kit Carson;" was an Amer- 
ican trapper and scout who gained a wide 
reputation for his frontier work. He was a 
native of Kentucky, born December 24th, 
1809. He grew to manhood there, devel- 
oping a natural inclination for adventure in 
the pioneer experiences in his native state. 
When yet a young man he became quite 
well known on the frontier. He served as 
a guide to Gen. Fremont in his Rocky 
Mountain explorations and enlisted in the 
army. He was an officer in the United 
States service in both the Mexican war and 
the great Civil war, and in the latter received 
a brevet of brigadier-general for meritorious 
service. His death occurred May 23, 
1868. 

JOHN SHERMAN.— Statesman, politi- 
cian, cabinet officer and senator, the name 
of the gentleman who heads this sketch is al- 
most a household word throughout this 
country. Identified with some of the most 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



87 



important measures adopted by our Govern- 
ment since the close of the Civil war, he may 
well be called one of the leading men of his 
day. 

John Sherman was born at Lancaster, 
Fairfield county, Ohio, May ioth, 1823, 
the son of Charles R. Sherman, an emi- 
nent lawyer and judge of the supreme court 
of Ohio and who died in 1829. The subject 
of this article received an academic educa- 
tion and was admitted to the bar in 1844. 
In the Whig conventions of 1844 and 1848 
he sat as a delegate. He was a member of 
the National house of representatives, 
from 1855 to 1 86 1. In i860 he was re- 
elected to the same position but was chosen 
United States senator before he took his 
seat in the lower house. He was re-elected 
senator in 1866 and 1872 and was long 
chairman of the committee on finance and 
on agriculture. He took a prominent part 
in debates on finance and on the conduct of 
the war, and was one of the authors of the 
reconstruction measures in 1866 and 1867, 
and was appointed secretary of the treas- 
ury March 7th, 1877. 

Mr. Sherman was re-elected United States 
senator from Ohio January 1 8th, 1881, and 
again in 1886 and 1892, during which time 
he was regarded as one of the most promi- 
nent leaders of the Republican party, both 
in the senate and in the country. He was 
several times the favorite of his state for the 
nomination for president. 

On the formation of his cabinet in March, 
1897, President McKinley tendered the posi- 
tion of secretary of state to Mr. Sherman, 
which was accepted. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, ninth 
president of the United States, was 
born in Charles county, Virginia, February 
9, 1773, the son of Governor Benjamin 



Harrison. He took a course in Hampden- 
Sidney College with a view to the practice 
of medicine, and then went to Philadelphia 
to study under Dr. Rush, but in 1791 he 
entered the army, and obtained the commis- 
sion of ensign, was soon promoted to the 
lieutenancy, and was with General Wayne 
in his war against the Indians. For his 
valuable service he was promoted to the 
rank of captain and given command of Fort 
Washington, now Cincinnati. He was ap- 
pointed secretary of the Northwest Territory 
in 1797, and in 1799 became its representa- 
tive in congress. In 1801 he was appointed 
governor of Indiana Territory, and held the 
position for twelve years, during which time 
he negotiated important treaties with the In- 
dians, causing them to relinquish millions of 
acres of land, and also won the battle of 
Tippecanoe in 181 1. He succeeded in 
obtaining a change in the law which did not 
permit purchase of public lands in less tracts 
than four thousand acres, reducing the limit 
to three hundred and twenty acres. He 
became major-general of Kentucky militia 
and brigadier-general in the United States 
army in 18 12, and won great renown in 
the defense of Fort Meigs, and his victory 
over the British and Indians under Proctor 
and Tecumseh at the Thames river, October 
5. 1813. 

In 1 8 16 General Harrison was elected to 
congress from Ohio, and during the canvass 
was accused of corrupt methods in regard tc 
the commissariat of the army. He demanded 
an investigation after the election and was 
exonerated. In 18 19 he was elected to 
the Ohio state senate, and in 1824 he gave 
his vote as a presidential elector to Henry 
Clay. He became a member of the United 
States senate the same year. During the 
last year of Adams' administration he was 
sent as minister to Colombia, but was re- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



called by President Jackson the following 
year. He then retired to his estate at North 
Bend, Ohio, a few miles below Cincinnati. In 
1836 he was a candidate for the presidency, 
but as there were three other candidates 
the votes were divided, he receiving seventy- 
three electoral votes, a majority going to 
Mr. Van Buren, the Democratic candidate. 
Four years later General Harrison was again 
nominated by the Whigs, and elected by a 
tremendous majority. The campaign was 
noted for its novel features, many of which 
have found a permanent place in subsequent 
campaigns. Those peculiar to that cam- 
paign, however, were the " log-cabin" and 
" hard cider" watchwords, which produced 
great enthusiasm among his followers. One 
month after his inauguration he died from 
an attack of pleurisy, April 4, 1841. 



CHARLES A. DANA, the well-known 
and widely-read journalist of New York 
City, a native of Hinsdale, New Hampshire, 
was born August 8, 18 19. He received 
the elements of a good education in his 
youth and studied for two years at Harvard 
University. Owing to some disease of the 
eyes he was unable to complete his course 
and graduate, but was granted the degree of 
A. M. notwithstanding. For some time he 
was editor of the " Harbinger," and was a 
regular contributor to the Boston " Chrono- 
type." In 1847 he became connected with 
the New York ' ' Tribune, " and continued on 
the staff of that journal until 1858. In the 
latter year he edited and compiled "The 
Household Book of Poetry," and later, in 
connection with George Ripley, edited the 
"New American Cyclopaedia." 

Mr. Dana, on severing his connection 
with the ' ' Tribune " in 1 867, became editor 
of the New York "Sun," a paper with 
which he was identified for many years, and 



which he made one of the leaders of thought 
in the eastern part of the United States. 
He wielded a forceful pen and fearlessly 
attacked whatever was corrupt and unworthy 
in politics, state or national. The same 
year, 1867, Mr. Dana organized the New 
York " Sun " Company. 

During the troublous days of the war, 
when the fate of the Nation depended upon 
the armies in the field, Mr. Dana accepted 
the arduous and responsible position of 
assistant secretary of war, and held the 
position during the greater part of 1863 
and 1864. He died October 17, 1897. 



ASA GRAY was recognized throughout the 
scientific world as one of the ablest 
and most eminent of botanists. He was 
born at Paris, Oneida county, New York, 
November 18, 1810. He received his medi- 
cal degree at the Fairfield College of Physi- 
cians and Surgeons, in Herkimer county, 
New York, and studied botany with the late 
Professor Torrey, of New York. He was 
appointed botanist to the Wilkes expedition 
in 1834, but declined the offer and became 
professor of natural history in Harvard Uni- 
versity in 1842. He retired from the active 
duties of this post in 1873, and in 1874 he 
was the regent of the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion at Washington, District of Columbia. 
Dr. Gray wrote several books on the sub- 
ject of the many sciences of which he was 
master. In 1836 he published his "Ele- 
ments of Botany," " Manual of Botany" in 
1848; the unfinished "Flora of North 
America," by himself and Dr. Torrey, the 
publication of which commenced in 1838. 
There is another of his unfinished works 
called "Genera Boreali-Americana, " pub- 
lished in 1848, and the "Botany of the 
United States Pacific Exploring Expedition 
in 1854." He wrote many elaborate papers 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



on the botany of the west and southwest 
that were published in the Smithsonian Con- 
tributions, Memoirs, etc., of the American 
Academy of Arts and Sciences, of which in- 
stitution he was president for ten years. 
He was also the author of many of the 
government reports. " How Plants Grow," 
" Lessons in Botany," " Structural and Sys- 
tematic Botany," are also works from his 
ready pen. 

Dr. Gray published in 1861 his "Free 
Examination of Darwin's Treatise " and his 
" Darwiniana," in 1876. Mr. Gray was 
elected July 29, 1878, to a membership in 
the Institute of France, Academy of Sciences. 
His death occurred at Cambridge, Massa- 
chusetts, January 30, 1889. 



WILLIAM MAXWELL EVARTS was 
one of the greatest leaders of the 
American bar. He was born in Boston, 
Massachusetts, February 6, 18 18, and grad- 
uated from Yale College in 1837. He took 
up the study of law, which he practiced in 
the city of New York and won great renown 
as an orator and advocate. He affiliated 
with the Republican party, which he joined 
soon after its organization. He was the 
leading counsel employed for the defense of 
President Johnson in his trial for impeach- 
ment before the senate in April and May of 
1868. 

In July, 1868, Mr. Evarts was appointed 
attorney-general of the United States, and 
served until March 4, 1869. He was one 
of the three lawyers who were selected by 
President Grant in 1 871 to defend the inter- 
ests of the citizens of the United States be- 
fore the tribunal of arbitration which met 
at Geneva in Switzerland to settle the con- 
troversy over the " Alabama Claims." 

He was one of the most eloquent advo- 
cates in the United States, and many of his 



public addresses have been preserved and 
published. He was appointed secretary of 
state March 7, 1877, by President Hayes, 
and served during the Hayes administration. 
He was elected senator from the state of 
New York January 21, 1885, and at once 
took rank among the ablest statesmen in 
Congress, and the prominent part he took 
in the discussion of public questions gave 
him a national reputation. 



JOHN WANAMAKER.— The life of this 
<J great merchant demonstrates the fact 
that the great secret of rising from the ranks 
is, to-day, as in the past ages, not so much the 
ability to make money, as to save it, or in 
other words, the ability to live well within 
one's income. Mr. Wanamaker was born in 
Philadelphia in 1838. He started out in 
life working in a brickyard for a mere pit- 
tance, and left that position to work in a 
book store as a clerk, where he earned 
the sum of $5.00 per month, and later on 
was in the employ of a clothier where he 
received twenty-five cents a week more. 
He was only fifteen years of age at that 
time, but was a " money-getter " by instinct, 
and laid by a small sum for a possible rainy 
day. By strict attention to business, com- 
bined with natural ability, he was promoted 
many times, and at the age of twenty he 
had saved $2,000. After several months 
vacation in the south, he returned to Phila- 
delphia and became a master brick mason, 
but this was too tiresome to the young man, 
and he opened up the " Oak Hall " clothing 
store in April, 1861, at Philadelphia. The 
capital of the firm was rather limited, but 
finally, after many discouragements, they 
laid the foundations of one of the largest 
business houses in the world. The estab- 
lishment covers at the present writing some 
fourteen acres of floor space, and furnishes 



90 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



employment for five thousand persons. Mr. 
Wanamaker was also a great church worker, 
and built a church that cost him $60,000, 
and he was superintendent of the Sunday- 
school, which had a membership of over 
three thousand children. He steadily re- 
fused to run for mayor or congress and the 
only public office that he ever held was that 
of postmaster-general, under the Harrison 
administration, and here he exhibited his 
extraordinary aptitude for comprehending 
the details of public business. 



DAVID BENNETT HILL, a Demo- 
cratic politician who gained a na- 
tional reputation, was born August 29, 
1843, at Havana, New York. He was 
educated at the academy of his native town, 
and removed to Elmira, New York, in 1862, 
where he studied law. He was admitted to 
the bar in 1864, in which year he was ap- 
pointed city attorney. Mr. Hill soon gained 
a considerable practice, becoming prominent 
in his profession. He developed a taste for 
politics in which he began to take an active 
part in the different campaigns and became 
the recognized leader of the local Democ- 
racy. In 1870 he was elected a member of 
the assembly and was re-elected in 1872. 
While a member of this assembly he formed 
the acquaintance of Samuel J. Tilden, after- 
ward governor of the state, who appointed 
Mr. Hill, W. M. Evarts and Judge Hand 
as a committee to provide a uniform charter 
for the different cities of the state. The 
pressure of professional engagements com- 
pelled him to decline to serve. In 1877 
Mr. Hill was made chairman of the Demo- 
cratic state convention at Albany, his elec- 
tion being due to the Tilden wing of the 
party, ana he held the same position again 
in 1 88 1. He served one term as alderman 
in Eimira, at the expiration of which term, 



in 1882, he was elected mayor of Elmira, 
and in September of the same year was 
nominated for lieutenant-governor on the 
Democratic state ticket. He was success- 
ful in the campaign and two years later, 
when Grover Cleveland was elected to the 
presidency, Mr. Hill succeeded to the gov- 
ernorship for the unexpired term. In 1885 
he was elected governor for a full term of 
three years, at the end of which he was re- 
elected, his term expiring in 1891, in which 
year he was elected United States senator. 
In the senate he became a conspicuous 
figure and gained a national reputation. 



ALLEN G. THURMAN. — " The noblest 
Roman of them all " was the title by 
which Mr. Thurman was called by his com- 
patriots of the Democracy. He was the 
greatest leader of the Democratic party in 
his day and held the esteem of all the 
people, regardless of their political creeds. 
Mr. Thurman was born November 13, 18 13, 
at Lynchburg, Virginia, where he remained 
until he had attained the age of six years, 
when he moved to Ohio. He received an 
academic education and after graduating, 
took up the study of law, was admitted to 
the bar in 1835, and achieved a brilliant 
success in that line. In political life he was 
very successful, and his first office was that 
of representative of the state of Ohio in the 
twenty-ninth congress. He was elected 
judge of the supreme court of Ohio in 1851, 
and was chief justice of the same from 1854 
to 1856. In 1867 he was the choice of the 
Democratic party of his state for governor, 
and was elected to the United States senate 
in 1869 to succeed Benjamin F. Wade, 
and was re-elected to the same position in 
1874. He was a prominent figure in the 
senate, until the expiration of his service i.i 
1 88 1. Mr. Thurman was also one of the 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



91 



principal presidental possibilities in the 
Democratic convention held at St. Louis in 
1876. In 18S8 he was the Democratic 
nominee for vice-president on the ticket 
with Grover Cleveland, but was defeated. 
Allen Granberry Thurman died December 
12, 1895, at Columbus, Ohio. 



CHARLES FARRAR BROWNE, better 
known as " Artemus Ward," was born 
April 26, 1834, in the village of Waterford, 
Maine. He was thirteen years old at the 
time of his father's death, and about a year 
later he was apprenticed to John M. Rix, 
who published the "Coos County Dem- 
ocrat " at Lancaster, New Hampshire. Mr. 
Browne remained with him one year, when, 
hearing that his brother Cyrus was starting 
a paper at Norway, Maine, he left Mr. Rix 
and determined to get work on the new 
paper. He worked for his brother until the 
failure of the newspaper, and then went to 
Augusta, Maine, where he remained a few 
weeks and then removed to Skowhegan, 
and secured a position on the "Clarion." 
But either the climate or the work was not 
satisfactory to him, for one night he silently 
left the town and astonished his good mother 
by appearing unexpectedly at home. Mr. 
Browne then received some letters of recom- 
mendation to Messrs. Snow and Wilder, of 
Boston, at whose office Mrs. Partington's 
(B. P. Shillaber) ' ' Carpet Bag " was printed, 
and he was engaged and remained there for 
three years. He then traveled westward in 
search of employment and got as far as Tif- 
fin, Ohio, where he found employment in the 
office of the "Advertiser," and remained 
there some months when he proceeded to 
Toledo, Ohio, where he became one of the 
staff of the "Commercial," which position 
he held until 1857. Mr. Browne next went 
lit Cleveland, Ohio, and became the local 



editor of the "Plain Dealer," and it was in 
the columns of this paper that he published 
his first articles and signed them " Artemus 
Ward." In i860 he went to" New York and 
became the editor of " Vanity Fair," but 
the idea of lecturing here seized him, and he 
was fully determined to make the trial. 
Mr. Browne brought out his lecture, "Babes 
in the Woods" at Clinton Hall, December 
23, 1 86 1, and in 1862 he published his first 
book entitled, " Artemus Ward; His Book. " 
He attained great fame as a lecturer and his 
lectures were not confined to America, for 
he went to England in 1866, and became 
exceedingly popular, both as a lecturer and 
a contributor to "Punch." Mr. Browne 
lectured for the last time January 23, 1867. 
He died in Southampton, England, March 
6,' 1867. ______ 

THURLOW WEED, a noted journalist 
and politician, was born in Cairo, New 
York, November 15, 1797. He learned the 
printer's trade at the age of twelve years, 
and worked at this calling for several years 
in various villages in centra! New York. He 
served as quartermaster-sergeant during the 
war of 18 1 2. In 18 18 he established the 
"Agriculturist," at Norwich, New York, 
and became editor of the "Anti-Masonic 
Enquirer," at Rochester, in 1826. In the 
same year he was elected to the legislature 
and re-elected in 1830, when he located in 
Albany, New York, and there started the 
" Evening Journal," and conducted it in op- 
position to the Jackson administration and 
the nullification doctrines of Calhoun. He 
became an adroit party manager, and was 
instrumental in promoting the nomination; 
of Harrison, Taylor and Scott for the pres- 
idency. In 1856 and in i860 he threw his 
support to W. H. Seward, but when defeat- 
ed in his object, he gave cordial support to 



92 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



Fremont and Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln pre- 
vailed upon him to visit the various capitals 
of Europe, where he proved a valuable aid 
tc the administration in moulding the opin- 
ions of the statesmen of that continent 
favorable to the cause of the Union. 

Mr. Weed's connection with the ' ' Even- 
ing Journal " was severed in 1862, when he 
settled in New York, and for a time edited 
the "Commercial Advertiser." In 1868 he 
retired from active life. His " Letters from 
Europe and the West Indies," published in 
1 866, together with some interesting "Rem- 
iniscences, " published in the "Atlantic 
Monthly," in 1870, an autobiography, and 
portions of an extensive correspondence will 
be of great value to writers of the political 
history of the United States. Mr. Weed 
died in New York, November 22, 1882. 



WILLIAM COLLINS WHITNEY, 
one of the prominent Democratic 
politicians of the country and ex-secretary of 
the navy, was born July 5th, 1841, at Con- 
way, Massachusetts, and received his edu- 
cation at Williston Seminary, East Hamp- 
ton, Massachusetts, Later he attended 
Yale College, where he graduated in 1863, 
and entered the Harvard Law School, which 
he left in 1864. Beginning practice in New 
York city, he soon gained a reputation as 
an able lawyer. He made his first appear- 
ance in public affairs in 1871, when he was 
active in organizing a young men's Demo- 
cratic club. In 1872 he was the recognized 
leader of the county Democracy and in 1875 
was appointed corporation counsel for the 
city of New York. He resigned the office, 
1882, to attend to personal interests and on 
March 5, 1885, he was appointed secretary 
of the navy by President Cleveland. Under 
his administration the navy of the United 
States rapidly rose in rank among the navies 



of the world. When he retired from office 
in 1889, the vessels of the United States 
navy designed and contracted for by him 
were five double-turreted monitors, twc 
new armor-clads, the dynamite cruiser "Ve- 
suvius," and five unarmored steel and iron 
cruisers. 

Mr. Whitney was the leader of the 
Cleveland forces in the national Democratic 
convention of 1892. 



EDWIN FORREST, the first and great- 
est American tragedian, was born in 
Philadelphia in 1806. His father was a 
tradesman, and some accounts state that he 
had marked out a mercantile career for his 
son, Edwin, while others claim that he had 
intended him for the ministry. His wonder- 
ful memory, his powers of mimicry and his 
strong musical voice, however, attracted at- 
tention before he was eleven years old, and 
at that age he made his first appearance on 
the stage. The costume in which he appeared 
was so ridiculous that he left the stage in a 
fit of anger amid a roar of laughter from 
the audience. This did not discourage him, 
however, and at the age of fourteen, after 
some preliminary training in elocution, he 
appeared again, this time as Young Norvel, 
and gave indications of future greatness. 
Up to 1826 he played entirely with strolling 
companies through the south and west, but 
at that time he obtained an engagement at 
the Bowery Theater in New York. From 
that time his fortune was made. His man- 
ager paid him $40 per night, and it is stated 
that he loaned Forrest to other houses from 
time to time at $200 per night. His great 
successes were Virginius, Damon, Othello, 
Coriolanus, William Tell, Spartacus and 
Lear. He made his first appearance in 
London in 1836, and his success was un- 
questioned from the start. In 1845, on his 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



93 



second appearance in London, he became 
involved in a bitter rivalry with the great 
English actor, Macready, who had visited 
America two years before. The result was 
that Forrest was hissed from the stage, and 
it was charged that Macready had instigated 
the plot. Forrest's resentment was so bitter 
that he himself openly hissed Macready 
from his box a few nights later. In 1848 
Macready again visited America at a time 
when American admiration and enthusiasm 
for Forrest had reached its height. Macready 
undertook to play at Astor Place Opera 
House in May, 1849, but was hooted off the 
stage. A few nights later Macready made a 
second attempt to play at the same house, 
this time under police protection. The house 
was filled with Macready 's friends, but the vio- 
olence of the mob outside stopped the play, 
and the actor barely escaped with his life. 
Upon reading the riot act the police and 
troops were assaulted with stones. The 
troops replied, first with blank cartridges, 
and then a volley of lead dispersed the 
mob, leaving thirty men dead or seriously 
wounded. 

After this incident Forrest's popularity 
waned, until in 1855 he retired from the 
stage. He re-appeared in i860, however, 
and probably the most remunerative period 
of his life was between that date and the 
close of the Civil war. His last appearance 
on the stage was at the Globe Theatre, 
Boston, in Richelieu, in April, 1872, his 
death occurring December 12 of that year. 



NOAH PORTER, D. D., LL. D., was 
one of the most noted educators, au- 
thors and scientific writers of the United 
States. He was born December 14, 181 1, 
at Farmington, Connecticut, graduated at 
Yale College in 183 1, and was master of 
Hopkins Grammar School at New Haven in 



l8 3!-33- During 1833-35 he was a tutor 
at Yale, and at the same time was pursuing 
his theological studies, and became pastor 
of the Congregational church at New Mil- 
ford, Connecticut, in April, 1836. Dr. 
Porter removed to Springfield, Massachu- 
setts, in 1843, and was chosen professor of 
metaphysics and moral philosophy at Yale 
in 1846. He spent a year in Germany in 
the study of modern metaphysics in 1 853— 
54, and in 1871 he was elected president of 
Yale College. He resigned the presidency 
in 1885, but still remained professor of met- 
aphysics and moral philosophy. He was 
the author of a number of works, among 
which are the following: " Historical Es- 
say," written in commemorationof the 200th 
aniversary of the settlement of the town of 
Farmington; " Educational System of the 
Jesuits Compared;" "The Human Intel- 
lect," with an introduction upon psychology 
and the soul; " Books and Reading;" 
"American Colleges and the American Pub- 
lic;" " Elementsof Intellectual Philosophy;" 
" The Science of Nature versus the Science 
of Man;" "Science and Sentiment;" "Ele- 
ments of Moral Science." Dr. Porter was 
the principal editor of the revised edition of 
Webster's Dictionary in 1864, and con- 
tributed largely to religious reviews and 
periodicals. Dr. Porter's death occurred 
March 4, 1892, at New Haven, Connecticut. 



JOHN TYLER, tenth president of the 
United States, was born in Charles City 
county, Virginia, March 29, 1790, and was 
the son of Judge John Tyler, one of the 
most distinguished men of his day. 

When but twelve years of age young 
John Tyler entered William and Mary Col- 
lege, graduating from there in 1806. He 
took up the study of law and was admitted 
to the bar in 1809, when but nineteen years 



94 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY, 



of age. On attaining his majority in 1811 
he was elected a member of the state legis- 
lature, and fcfr five years held that position 
by the almost unanimous vote of his county. 
He was elected to congress in 18 16, and 
served in that body for four years, after 
which for two years he represented his dis- 
trict again in the legislature of the state. 
While in congress, he opposed the United 
States bank, the protective policy and in- 
ternal improvements by the United States 
government. 1825 saw Mr. Tyler governor 
of Virginia, but in 1827 he was chosen 
member of the United States senate, and 
held that office for nine years. He therein 
opposed the administration of Adams and 
the tariff bill of 1828, sympathized with the 
milliners of South Carolina and was the 
only senator who voted against the Force 
bill for the suppression of that state's insip- 
ient rebellion. He resigned his position as 
senator on account of a disagreement with 
the legislature of his state in relation to his 
censuring President Jackson. He retired to 
Williamsburg, Virginia, but being regarded 
as a martyr by the Whigs, whom, hereto- 
fore, he had always opposed, was supported 
by many of that party for the vice-presi- 
dency in 1836. He sat in the Virginia leg- 
islature as a Whig in 1839-40, and was a 
delegate to the convention of that party in 
1859. This national convention nominated 
him for the second place on the ticket with 
General William H. H. Harrison, and he 
was elected vice-president in November, 
1840. President Harrison dying one month 
after his inauguration, he was succeeded by 
John Tyler. He retained the cabinet chosen 
by his predecessor, and for a time moved in 
harmony with the Whig party. He finally 
instructed the secretary of the treasury, 
Thomas Ewing, to submit to congress a bill 
for the incorporation of a fiscal bank of the 



United States, which was passed by con- 
gress, but vetoed by the president on ac- 
count of some amendments he considered 
unconstitutional. For this and other meas- 
ures he was accused of treachery to his 
party, and deserted by his whole cabinet, 
except Daniel Webs' er. Things grew worse 
until he was abandoned by the Whig party 
formally, when Mr. Webster resigned. He 
was nominated at Baltimore, in May, 1844, 
at the Democratic convention, as their pres- 
idential candidate, but withdrew from the 
canvass, as he saw he had not succeed- 
ed in gaining the confidence of his old 
party. He then retired from politics until 
February, 1861, when he was made presi- 
dent of the abortive peace congress, which 
met in Washington. He shortly after re- 
nounced his allegiance to the United States 
and was elected a member of the Confeder- 
ate congress. He died at Richmond, Janu- 
ary 17, 1862. 

Mr. Tyler married, in 181 3, Miss Letitia 
Christian, who died in 1842 at Washington. 
June 26, 1844, he contracted a second mar- 
riage, with Miss Julia Gardner, of New York. 



COLLIS POTTER HUNTINGTON, 
one of the great men of his time and 
who has left his impress upon the history of 
our national development, was born October 
22, 1 82 1, at Harwinton, Connecticut. 
He received a common-school education 
and at the age of fourteen his spirit of get- 
ting along in the world mastered his educa- 
tional propensities and his father's objec- 
tions and he left school. He went to Cali- 
fornia in the early days and had opportunities 
which he handled masterfully. Others had 
the same opportunities but they did not have 
his brains nor his energy, and it was he who 
overcame obstacles and reaped the reward 
of his genius. Transcontinental railways 



COMPEXDir.U OF BIOGRAPHT. 



95 



were inevitable, but the realization of this 
masterful achievement would have been de- 
layed to a much later day if there had been 
no Huntington. He associated himself with 
Messrs. Mark Hopkins, Leland Stanford, 
and Charles Crocker, and they furnished the 
money necessary for a survey across the 
Sierra Nevadas, secured a charter for the 
road, and raised, with the government's aid, 
money enough to construct and equip that 
railway, which at the time of its completion 
was a marvel of engineering and one of the 
wonders of the world. Mr. Huntington be- 
came president of the Southern Pacific rail- 
road, vice-president of the Central Pacific; 
trustee of the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph 
Company, and a director of the Occidental 
and Oriental Steamship Company, besides" 
being identified with many other business 
enterprises of vast importance. 



GEORGE A. CUSTER, a famous In- 
dian fighter, was born in Ohio in 1840. 
He graduated at West Point in 1861, an- 
served in the Civil war; was at Bull Run id 
1861, and was in the Peninsular campaign, 
being one of General McClellan's aides-de, 
camp. He fought in the battles of South 
Mountain and Antietam in 1863, and was 
with General Stoneman on his famous 
cavalry raid. He was engaged in the battle 
of Gettysburg, and was there made brevet- 
major. In 1863 was appointed brigadier- 
general of volunteers. General Custer was 
in many skirmishes in central Virginia in 
1863-64, and was present at the following 
battles of the Richmond campaign: Wil- 
derness, Todd's Tavern, Yellow Tavern, where 
he wasbrevetted lieutenant-colonel ; Meadow 
Bridge, Haw's Shop, Cold Harbor, Trevil- 
lian Station. In the Shenandoah Valley 
j 864-65 he was brevetted colonel at Opequan 
Creek, and at Cedar Creek he was made 



brevet major-general for gallant conduct 
during the engagement. General Custer 
was in command of a cavalry division in the 
pursuit of Lee's army in 1865, and fought 
at Dinwiddie Court House, Five Forks, 
where he was made brevet brigadier-general ; 
Sailors Creek and Appomattox, where he 
gained additional honors and was made 
brevet major-general, and was given the 
command of the cavalry in the military 
division of the southwest and Gulf, in 1865. 
After the establishment of peace he went 
west on frontier duty and performed gallant 
and valuable service in the troubles with the 
Indians. He was killed in the massacre on 
the Little Big Horn river, South Dakota, 
June 25, 1876. 



DANIEL WOLSEY VOORHEES, cel- 
brated as ' ' The Tall Sycamore of the 
Wabash," was born September 26, 1827, 
in Butler county, Ohio. When he was two 
months old his parents removed to Fount- 
ain county, Indiana. He grew to manhood 
on a farm, engaged in all the arduous work 
pertaining to rural life. In 1845 he entered 
the Indiana Asbury University, now the De 
Pauw, from which he graduated in 1849. 
He took up the study of law at Crawfords- 
ville, and in 1851 began the practice of his 
profession at Covington, Fountain county, 
Indiana. He became a law partner of 
United States Senator Hannegan, of Indi- 
ana, in 1852, and in 1856 he was an unsuc- 
cessful candidate for congress. In the fol- 
lowing year he took up his residence in Terre 
Haute, Indiana. He was United States 
district attorney for Indiana from 1857 until 
1 86 1, and he had during this period been 
elected to congress, in i860. Mr. Voorhees 
was re-elected to congress in 1862 and 1864, 
but he was unsuccessful in the election of 
1866. However, he was returned to con- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



gress in 1868, where he remained until 1874, 
having been re-elected twice. In 1877 he 
was appointed United States senator from 
Indiana to fill a vacancy caused by the death 
of 0. P. Norton, and at the end of the term 
was elected for the ensuing term, being re- 
elected in 1885 and in 1891 to the same of- 
fice. He served with distinction on many 
of the committees, and took a very prom- 
inent part in the discussion of all the im- 
portant legislation of his time. His death 
occurred in August, 189 . 



ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, fa- 
mous as one of the inventors of the tele- 
phone, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 
March 3rd, 1847. He received his early 
education in the high school and later he 
attended the university, and was specially 
trained to follow his grandfather's profes- 
sion, that of removing impediments of 
speech. He emigrated to the United States 
in 1872, and introduced into this country 
his father's invention of visible speech in the 
institutions for deaf-mutes. Later he was 
appointed professor of vocal physiology in 
the Boston University. He worked for 
many years during his leisure hours on his 
telephonic discovery, and finally perfected 
it and exhibited it publicly, before it had 
reached the high state of perfection to which 
he brought it. His first exhibition of it was 
at the Centennial Exhibition that was held 
in Philadelphia in 1876. Its success is now 
established throughout the civilized world. 
In 1882 Prof. Bell received a diploma and 
the decoration of the Legion of Honor from 
the Academy of Sciences of France. 



WILLIAM HICKLING PRESCOTT, 
the justly celebrated historian and 
author, was a native of Salem, Massachu- 
setts, and was born May 4, 1796. He was 



the son of Judge William Prescott and the 
grandson of the hero of Bunker Hill, Colonel 
William Prescott. 

Our subject in 1808 removed with the 
family to Boston, in the schools of which 
city he received his early education. He 
entered Harvard College as a sophomore in 
181 1, having been prepared at the private 
classical college of Rev. Dr. J. S. J. Gardi- 
jner. The following year he received an in- 
ury in his left eye which made study 
through life a matter of difficulty. He 
graduated in 18 14 with high honors in the 
classics and belle lettres. He spent several 
months on the Azores Islands, and later 
visited England, France and Italy, return- 
ing home in 18 17. In June, 1818, he 
founded a social and literary club at Boston 
for which he edited "The Club Room," a 
periodical doomed to but a short life. May 
4, 1820, he married Miss Susan Amory. 
He devoted several years after that event to 
a thorough study of ancient and modern 
history and literature. As the fruits of his 
labors he published Several well written 
essays upon French and Italian poetry and 
romance in the " North American Review." 
January 19, 1826, he decided to take up his 
first great historical work, the " History of 
the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella." To 
this he gave the labor of ten years, publish- 
ing the same December 25, 1837. Although 
placed at the head of all American authors, 
so diffident was Prescott of his literary merit 
that although he had four copies of this 
work printed for his own convenience, he 
hesitated a long time before giving it to the 
public, and it was only by the solicitation of 
friends, especially of that talented Spanish 
scholar, George Ticknor, that he was in- 
duced to do so. Soon the volumes were 
translated into French, Italian, Dutch and 
German, and the work was recognized 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



97 



throughout the world as one of the most 
meritorious of historical compositions. In 
1843 he published the "Conquest of Mexi- 
co," and in 1847 the "Conquest of Peru." 
Two years later there came from his pen a 
volume of " Biographical and Critical Mis- 
cellanies." Going abroad in the summer of 
1850, he was received with great distinction 
in the literary circles of London, Edinburgh, 
Paris, Antwerp and Brussels. Oxford Uni- 
versity conferred the degree of D. C. L. 
upon him. In 1855 he issued two volumes 
of his "History of the Reign of Philip the 
Second," and a third in 1858. In the 
meantime he edited Robertson's "Charles 
the Fifth," adding a history of the life of 
that monarch after his abdication. Death 
cut short his work on the remaining volumes 
of " Philip the Second," coming to him at 
Boston, Massachusetts, May 28, 1859. 



OLIVER HAZARD PERRY, a noted 
American commodore, was born in 
South Kingston, Rhode Island, August 23, 
1785. He saw his first service as a mid- 
shipman in the United States navy in April, 
1799. He cruised with his father, Captain 
Christopher Raymond Perry, in the West In- 
dies for about two years. In 1804 he was 
in the war against Tripoli, and was made 
lieutenant in 1 807. At the opening of hostili- 
ties with Great Britain in 1812 he was given 
command of a fleet of gunboats on the At- 
lantic coast. At his request he was trans- 
ferred, a year later, to Lake Ontario, where 
he served under Commodore Chauncey, and 
took an active part in the attack on Fort 
George. He was ordered to fit out a squad- 
ron on Lake Erie, which he did, building 
most of his vessels from the forests along 
the shore, and by the summer of 181 3 he had 
a fleet of nine vessels at Presque Isle, now 
Erie, Pennsylvania September 10th he 



attacked and captured the British fleet near 
Put-in-Bay, thus clearing the lake of hostile 
ships. His famous dispatch is part of his 
fame, " We have met the enemy, and they 
are ours." He co-operated with Gen. Har- 
rison, and the success of the campaign in 
the northwest was largely due to his victory. 
The next year he was transferred to the Po- 
tomac, and assisted in the defense of Balti- 
more. After the war he was in constant 
service with the various squadrons in cruising 
in all parts of the world. He died of yellow 
fever on the Island of Trinidad, August 23, 
1 8 19. His remains were conveyed to New- 
port, and buried there, and an imposing 
obelisk was erected to his memory by the 
State of Rhode Island. A bronze statue 
was also erected in his honor, the unveiling 
taking place in 1885. 



JOHN PAUL JONES, though a native 
of Scotland, was one of America's most 
noted fighters during the Revolutionary war. 
He was born July 6, 1747. His father was 
a gardener, but the young man soon be- 
came interested in a seafaring life and at 
the age of twelve he was apprenticed to a 
sea captain engaged in the American trade. 
His first voyage landed him in Virginia, 
where he had a brother who had settled 
there several years prior. The failure of 
the captain released young Jones from his 
apprenticeship bonds, and he was engaged 
as third mate of a vessel engaged in the 
slave trade. He abandoned this trade after 
a few years, from his own sense of disgrace. 
He took passage from Jamaica for Scotland 
in 1768, and on the voyage both the captain 
and the mate died and he was compelled to 
take command of the vessel for the re- 
mainder of the voyage. He soon after 
became master of the vessel. He returned 
to Virginia about 1773 to settle up the estate 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



of his brother, and at this time added the 
name "Jones," having previously been 
known as John Paul. He settled down in 
Virginia, but when the war broke out in 
1775 ne offered his services to congress and 
was appointed senior lieutenant of the flag- 
ship "Alfred," on which he hoisted the 
American flag with his own hands, the first 
vessel that had ever carried a flag of the 
new nation. He was afterward appointed 
to the command of the "Alfred," and later 
of the "Providence," in each of which ves- 
sels he did good service, as also in the 
" Ranger," to the command of which he 
was later appointed. The fight that made 
him famous, however, was that in which he 
captured the " Serapis," off the coast of 
Scotland. He was then in command of the 
"Bon Homme Richard," which had been 
fitted out for him by the French government 
and named by Jones in honor of Benjamin 
Franklin, or " Good Man Richard," Frank- 
lin being author of the publication known 
as " Poor Richard's Almanac." The fight 
between the " Richard" and the "Serapis" 
lasted three hours, all of which time the 
vessels were at close range, and most of the 
time in actual contact. Jones' vessel was 
on fire several times, and early in the en- 
gagement two of his guns bursted, rendering 
the battery useless. Also an envious officer 
of the Alliance, one of Jones' own fleet, 
opened fire upon the " Richard " at a crit- 
ical time, completely disabling the vessel. 
Jones continued the fight, in spite of coun- 
sels to surrender, and after dark the " Ser- 
apis "struck her colors, and was hastily 
boarded by Jones and his crew, while the 
"Richard" sank, bows first, after the 
wounded had been taken on board the 
"Serapis." Most of the other vessels of 
the fleet of which the " Serapis" was con- 
voy, surrendered, and were taken with the 



"Serapis" to France, where Jones was 
received with greatest honors, and the king 
presented him with an elegant sword and 
the cross of the Order of Military Merit. 
Congress gave him a vote of thanks and 
made him commander of a new ship, the 
"America," but the vessel was afterward 
given to France and Jones never saw active 
sea service again. He came to America again, 
in 1787, after the close of the war, and was 
voted a gold medal by congress. He went to 
Russia and was appointed rear-admiral and 
rendered service of value against the Turks, 
but on account of personal enmity of the fav- 
orites of the emperor he was retired on a pen- 
sion. Failing to collect this, he returned to 
France, where he died, July 18, 1792. 



THOMAS MORAN, the well-known 
painter of Rocky Mountain scenery, 
was born in Lancashire, England, in 1837. 
He came to America when a child, and 
showing artistic tastes, he was apprenticed 
to a wood engraver in Philadelphia. Three 
years later he began landscape painting, and 
his style soon began to exhibit signs of genius. 
His first works were water-colors, and 
though without an instructor he began the 
use of oils, he soon found it necessary to 
visit Europe, where he gave particular at- 
tention to the works of Turner. He joined 
the Yellowstone Park exploring expedition 
and visited the Rocky Mountains in 1871 
and again in 1873, making numerous 
sketches of the scenery. The most note- 
worthy results were his "Grand Canon of 
the Yellowstone," and " The Chasm of the 
Colorado," which were purchased by con- 
gress at $10,000 each, the first of which is 
undoubtedly the finest landscape painting 
produced in this country. Mr. Moran has 
subordinated art to nature, and the subjects 
he has chosen leave little ground for fault 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY, 



101 



finding on that account. "The Mountain 
of the Holy Cross," "The Groves Were 
God's First Temples," " The Cliffs of Green 
River, "" The Children of the Mountain," 
" The Ripening of the Leaf," and others 
have given him additional fame, and while 
they do not equal in grandeur the first 
mentioned, in many respects from an artis- 
tic standpoint they are superior. 



L ELAND STANFORD was one of the 
greatest men of the Pacific coast and 
also had a national reputation. He was 
born March 9, 1824, in Albany county, New 
York, and passed his early life on his 
father's farm. He attended the local 
schools of the county and at the age of 
twenty began the study of law. He 
entered the law office of Wheaton, Doolittle 
and Hadley, at Albany, in 1845, and a few 
years later he moved to Port Washington, 
Wisconsin, where he practiced law four 
years with moderate success. In 1852 Mr. 
Stanford determined to push further west, 
and, accordingly went to California, where 
three of his brothers were established in 
business in the mining towns. They took 
Leland into partnership, giving him charge 
of a branch store at Michigan Bluff, in 
Placer county. There he developed great 
business ability and four years later started 
a mercantile house of his own in San Fran- 
cisco, which soon became one of the most 
substantial houses on the coast. On the 
formation of the Republican party he inter- 
ested himself in politics, and in i860 was 
sent as a delegate to the convention that 
nominated Abraham Lincoln. In the 
autumn of 1861 he was elected, by an im- 
mense majority, governor of California. 
Prior to his election as governor he had 
been chosen president of the newly-orga- 
nized Central Pacific Railroad Company, 



and after leaving the executive chair he de- 
voted all of his time to the construction of 
the Pacific end of the transcontinental rail- 
way. May 10, 1869, Mr. Stanford drove 
the last spike of the Central Pacific road, 
thus completing the route across the conti- 
nent. He was also president of the Occi- 
dental and Oriental Steamship Company. 
He had but one son, who died of typhoid 
fever, and as a monument to his child he 
founded the university which bears his son s 
name, Leland Stanford, Junior, University. 
Mr. Stanford gave to this university eighty- 
three thousand acres of land, the estimated 
value of which is $8,000,000, and the entire 
endowment is $20,000,000. In 18S5 Mr. 
Stanford was elected United States senator 
as a Republican, to succeed J. T. Farley, a 
Democrat, and was re-elected in 1891. His 
death occurred June 20, 1894, at Palo Alto, 
California. 

STEPHEN DECATUR, a famous com- 
modore in the United States navy, was 
born in Maryland in 1779. He entered the 
naval service in 1798. In 1804, when the 
American vessel Philadelphia had been run 
aground and captured in the harbor of Trip- 
oli, Decatur, at the head of a few men, 
boarded her and burned her in the face of 
the guns from the city defenses. For this 
daring deed he was made captain. He was 
given command of the frigate United States 
at the breaking out of the war of 18 12, and 
in October of that year he captured the 
British frigate Macedonian, and was re- 
warded with a gold medal by congress. Af- 
ter the close of the war he was sent as com- 
mander of a fleet of ten vessels to chastise 
the dey of Algiers, who was preying upon 
American commerce with impunity and de- 
manding tribute and ransom for the release 
of American citizens captured. Decatur 



102 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



captured a number of Algerian vessels, and 
compelled the dey to sue for peace. He 
was noted for his daring and intrepidity, 
and his coolness in the face of danger, and 
helped to bring the United States navy into 
favor with the people and congress as a 
means of defense and offense in time of 
war. He was killed in a duel by Commo- 
dore Barron, March 12, 1820. 



JAMES KNOX POLK, the eleventh 
president of the United States, 1845 to 
1849, was born November 2, 1795, in Meck- 
lenburg county, North Carolina, and was 
the eldest child of a family of six sons. He 
removed with his father to the Valley of the 
Duck River, in Tennessee, in 1806. He 
attended the common schools and became 
very proficient in the lower branches of 
education, and supplemented this with 
a course in the Murfreesboro Academy, 
which he entered in 18 13 and in the autumn 
of 18 1 5 he became a student in the sopho- 
more class of the University of North Caro- 
lina, at Chapel Hill, and was graduated in 
1 8 1 8. He then spent a short time in re- 
cuperating his health and then proceeded to 
Nashville, Tennessee, where he took up the 
study of law in the office of Felix Grundy. 
After the completion of his law studies he 
was admitted to the bar and removed to 
Columbia, Maury county, Tennessee, and 
started in the active practice of his profes- 
sion. Mr. Polk was a Jeffersonian "Re- 
publican " and in 1823 he was elected to the 
legislature of Tennessee. He was a strict 
constructionist and did not believe that the 
general government had the power to carry 
on internal improvements in the states, but 
deemed it important that it should have that 
power, and wanted the constitution amended 
to that effect. But later on he became 
alarmed lest the general government might 



become strong enough to abolish slavery 
and therefore gave his whole support to the 
" State's Rights" movement, and endeavored 
to check the centralization of power in the 
general government. Mr. Polk was chosen 
a member of congress in 1825, and held that 
office until 1839. He then withdrew, as he 
was the successful gubernatorial candidate 
of his state. He had become a man of 
great influence in the house, and, as the 
leader of the Jackson party in that body, 
weilded great influence in the election of 
General Jackson to the presidency. He 
sustained the president in all his measures 
and still remained in the house after Gen- 
eral Jackson had been succeeded by Martin 
Van Buren. He was speaker of the house 
during five sessions of congress. He was 
elected governor of Tennessee by a large 
majority and took the oath of office at Nash- 
ville, October 4, 1839. He was a candidate 
for re-election but was defeated by Governor 
Jones, the Whig candidate. In 1844 the 
most prominent question in the election was 
the annexation of Texas, and as Mr. Polk 
was the avowed champion of this cause he 
was nominated for president by the pro- 
slavery wing of the democratic party, was 
elected by a large majority, and was inaug- 
urated March 4, 1S45. President Polk 
formed a very able cabinet, consisting of 
James Buchanan, Robert J. Walker, Will- 
iam L.'Marcy, George Bancroft, Cave John- 
son, and John Y. Mason. The dispute re- 
garding the Oregon boundary was settled 
during his term of office and a new depart- 
ment was added to the list of cabinet po- 
sitions, that of the Interior. The low tariff 
bill of 1846 was carried and the financial 
system of the country was reorganized. It 
was also during President Polk's term that 
the Mexican war was successfully conducted, 
which resulted in the acquisition of Califor- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPUV. 



103 



nia and New Mexico. Mr. Polk retired from 
the presidency March 4, 1849, after having 
declined a re-nomination, and was succeeded 
by General Zachary Taylor, the hero of the 
Mexican war. Mr. Polk retired to private 
life, to his home in Nashville, where he died 
at the age of fifty-four on June 9, 1849. 



ANNA DICKINSON (Anna Elizabeth 
Dickinson), a noted lecturer and pub- 
lic speaker, was born at Philadelphia, Oc- 
tober 28, 1842. Her parents were Quakers, 
and she was educated at the Friends' free 
schools in her native city. She early man- 
ifested an inclination toward elocution and 
public speaking, and when, at the age of 18, 
she found an opportunity to appear before 
a national assemblage for the discussion of 
woman's rights, she at once established her 
reputation as a public speaker. From i860 
to the close of the war and during the ex- 
citing period of reconstruction, she was one 
of the most noted and influential speakers 
before the American public, and her popu- 
larity was unequaled by that of any of her 
sex. A few weeks after the defeat and 
death of Colonel Baker at Ball's Bluff, Anna 
Dickinson, lecturing in New York, made 
the remarkable assertion, "Not the incom- 
petency of Colonel Baker, but the treachery 
of General McClellan caused the disaster at 
Ball's Bluff." She was hissed and hooted 
off the stage. A year later, at the same 
hall and with much the same class of audi- 
tors, she repeated the identical words, and 
the applause was so great and so long con- 
tinued that it was impossible to go on with 
her lecture for more than half an hour. The 
change of sentiment had been wrought by 
the reverses and dismissal of McClellan and 
his ambition to succeed Mr. Lincoln as presi- 
dent. 

Ten years after the close of the war, Anna 



Dickinson was not heard of on the lec- 
ture platform, and about that time she made 
an attempt to enter the dramatic profession, 
but after appearing a number of times in dif- 
ferent plays she was pronounced a failure. 



ROBERT J. BURDETTE.— Some per- 
sonal characteristics of Mr. Burdette 
were quaintly given by himself in the follow- 
ing words: "Politics? Republican after 
the strictest sect. Religion ? Baptist. Per- 
sonal appearance ? Below medium height, 
and weigh one hundred and thirty-five 
pounds, no shillings and no pence. Rich ? 
Not enough to own a yacht. Favorite read- 
ing? Poetry and history — know Longfellow 
by heart, almost. Write for magizines ? 
Have mOi-e ' declined with thanks ' letters 
than would fill a trunk. Never able to get 
into a magazine with a line. Care about it? 
Mad as thunder. Think about starting a 
magazine and rejecting everbody's articles 
except my own." Mr. Burdette was born 
at Greensborough, Pennsylvania, in 1844. 
He served through the war of the rebellion 
under General Banks "on an excursion 
ticket" as he felicitously described it, "good 
both ways, conquering in one direction and 
running in the other, pay going on just the 
same." He entered into journalism by the 
gateway of New York correspondence for 
the "Peoria Transcript," and in 1874 wenf 
on the " Burlington Hawkeye" of which he 
became the managing editor, and the work 
that he did on this paper made both him- 
self and the paper famous in the world of 
humor. Mr. Burdette married in 1870, 
and his wife, whom he called " Her Little 
Serene Highness," was to him a guiding 
light until the day of her death, and it was 
probably the unconscious pathos with which 
he described her in his work that broke the 
barriers that had kept him out of the maga- 



104 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



zines and secured him the acceptance of his 
"Confessions" by Lippincott some years 
ago, and brought him substantial fame and 
recognition in the literary world. 

WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS, one 
of the leading novelists of the present 
century and author of a number of works 
that gained for him a place in the hearts of 
the people, was born March I, 1837, at 
Martinsville, Belmont county, Ohio. At 
the age of three years he accompanied his 
father, who was a printer, to Hamilton, 
Ohio, where he learned the printer's trade. 
Later he was engaged on the editorial staff 
of the " Cincinnati Gazette" and the " Ohio 
State Journal." During 1861-65 ne was 
the United States consul at Venice, and 
from 1871 to 1878 he was the editor-in- 
chief of the "Atlantic Monthly." As a 
writer he became one of the most fertile 
and readable of authors and a pleasing poet. 
In 18S5 he became connected with " Har- 
per's Magazine. " Mr. Howells was author 
of the list of books that we give below: 
"Venetian Life," " Italian Journeys," "No 
Love Lost," " Suburban Sketches," "Their 
Wedding Journey," "A Chance Acquaint- 
ance," "A Foregone Conclusion," "Dr. 
Breen's Practice," "A Modern Instance," 
"The Rise of Silas Lapham," "Tuscan 
Cities," "Indian Summer," besides many 
others. He also wrote the " Poem of Two 
Friends," with J. J. Piatt in i860, and 
some minor dramas: "The Drawing 
Room Car," "The Sleeping Car," etc., 
that are full of exqusite humor and elegant 
dialogue. 

T AMES RUSSELL LOWELL was a son 
<J of the Rev. Charles Lowell, and was born 
lit Cambridge, Massachusetts, February 22, 
1819. He graduated at Harvard College in 



1838 as class poet, and went to Harvard 
Law School, from which he was graduated 
in 1840, and commenced the practice of his 
profession in Boston, but soon gave his un- 
divided attention to literary labors. Mr. 
Lowell printed, in 1841, a small volume of 
poems entitled " A Year's Life," edited with 
Robert Carter; in 1843, " The Pioneer, " a 
literary and critical magazine (monthly), and 
in 1848 another book of poems, that con- 
tained several directed against slavery. He 
published in 1844 a volume of "Poems" 
and in 1845 " Conversations on Some 
of the Old Poets," "The Vision of Sir 
Launfal," "A Fable for Critics, " and "The 
Bigelow Papers," the latter satirical es- 
says in dialect poetry directed against 
slavery and the war with Mexico. In 
1851-52 he traveled in Europe and re- 
sided in Italy for a considerable time, and 
delivered in 1854-55 a course of lectures on 
the British poets, before the Lowell Insti- 
tute, Boston. Mr. Lowell succeeded Long- 
fellow in January, 1855, as professor of 
modern languages and literature at Harvard 
College, and spent another year in Emope 
qualifying himself for that post. He edited 
the " Atlantic Monthly" from 1857 to 1862, 
and the "North American Review" from 
1863 until 1872. From 1864 to 1870 he 
published the following works: " Fireside 
Travels," "Under the Willows," "The 
Commemoration Ode," in honor of the 
alumni of Harvard who had fallen in the 
Civil war; "The Cathedral," two volumes 
of essays; "Among My Books" and "My 
Study Windows," and in 1867 he published 
a new series of the " Bigelow Papers." He 
traveled extensively in Europe in 1872-74, 
and received in person the degree of D. C. 
L. at Oxford and that of LL. D. at the 
University of Cambridge, England. He 
was also interested in political life and held 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



105 



many important offices. He was United 
States minister to Spain in 1877 and was 
also minister to England in 1880-85. On 
January 2, 1884, he was elected lord rector 
of St. Andrew University in Glasgow, Scot- 
land, but soon after he resigned the same. 
Mr. Lowell's works enjoy great popularity 
in the United States and England. He 
died August 12, 1S91. 



JOSEPH HENRY, one of America's 
greatest scientists, was born at Albany, 
New York, December 17, 1797. He was 
educated in the common schools of the city 
and graduated from the Albany Academy, 
where he became a professor of mathemat- 
ics in 1826. In 1827 he commenced a 
course of investigation, which he continued 
for a number of years, and the results pro- 
duced had great effect on the scientific world. 
The first success was achieved by producing 
the electric magnet, and he next proved the 
possibility of exciting magnetic energy at a 
distance, and it was the invention of Pro- 
fessor Henry's intensity magnet that first 
made the invention of electric telegraph a 
possibility. He made a statement regarding 
the practicability of applying the intensity 
magnet to telegraphic uses, in his article to 
the ' 'American Journal of Science " in 1 83 1 . 
During the same year he produced the first 
mechanical contrivance ever invented for 
maintaining continuous motion by means of 
electro-magnetism, and he also contrived a 
machine by which signals could be made at 
a distance by the use of his electro-magnet, 
the signals being produced by a lever strik- 
ing on a bell. Some of his electro-magnets 
were of great power, one carried over a ton 
and another not less than three thousand six 
hundred pounds. In 1832 he discovered 
that secondary currents could be produced 
in a long conductor by the induction of the 



primary current upon itself, and also in the 
same year he produced a spark by means of 
a purely magnetic induction. Professor 
Henry was elected, in 1832, professor of nat- 
ural philosophy in the College of New Jer- 
sey, and in his earliest lectures at Princeton, 
demonstrated the feasibility of the electric 
telegraph. He visited Europe in 1837, and 
while there he had an interview with Pro- 
fessor Wheatstone, the inventor of the 
needle magnetic telegraph. In 1846 he was 
elected secretary of the Smithsonian Insti- 
tution, being the first incumbent in that office, 
which he held until his death. Professor 
Henry was elected president of the Ameri- 
can Association for the Advancement of 
Science, in 1849, and of the National 
Academy of Sciences. He was made chair- 
man of the lighthouse board of the United 
States in 1871 and held that position up to 
the time of his death. He received the 
honorary degree of doctor of laws from 
Union College in 1829, and from Harvard 
University in 185 1, and his death occurred 
May 13, 1878. Among his numerous works 
may be mentioned the following: "Contri- 
butions to Electricity and Magnetism," 
"American Philosophic Trans, " and many 
articles in the "American Journal of 
Science," the journal of the Franklin Insti- 
tute; the proceedings of the American As- 
sociation for the- Advancement of Science, 
and in the annual reports of the Smith- 
sonian Institution from its foundation. 



FRANKLIN BUCHANAN, the famous 
rear-admiral of the Confederate navy 
during the rebellion, was born in Baltimore, 
Maryland. He became a United States 
midshipman in 18 15 and was promoted 
through the various grades of the service 
and became a captain in 1855. ^ r - Buch- 
anan resigned his captaincy in order to join 



106 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY, 



the Confederate service in 1861 and later he 
asked to be reinstated, but his request was 
refused and he then entered into the service 
of the Confederate government. He was 
placed in command of the frigate " Merri- 
mac " after she had been fitted up as an iron- 
clad, and had command of her at the time 
of the battle of Hampton Roads. It was 
he who had command when the " Merri- 
mac" sunk the two wooden frigates, " Con- 
gress" and "Cumberland," and was also 
in command during part of the historical 
battle of the " Merrimac " and the "Moni- 
tor," where he was wounded and the com- 
mand devolved upon Lieutenant Catesby 
Jones. He was created rear-admiral in the 
Confederate service and commanded the 
Confederate fleet in Mobile bay, which was 
defeated by Admiral Farragut, August 5, 
1864. Mr. Buchanan was in command of 
the "Tennessee," an ironclad, and during 
the engagement he lost one of his legs and 
was taken prisoner in the end by the Union 
fleet. After the war he settled in Talbot 
county, Maryland, where he died May 11, 
1874. 

RICHARD PARKS BLAND, a celebrated 
American statesman, frequently called 
"the father of the house," because of his 
many years of service in the lower house 
of congress, was born August 19, 1835, 
near Hartford, Kentucky, where he received 
a plain academic education. He moved, 
in 1855, to Missouri, from whence he went 
overland to California, afterward locating in 
Virginia City, now in the state of Nevada, 
but then part of the territory of Utah. 
While there he practiced law, dabbled in 
mines and mining in Nevada and California 
for several years, and served for a time as 
treasurer of Carson county, Nevada. Mr. 
Bland returned to Missouri in 1865, where 



he engaged in the practice of law at Rolla, 
Missouri, and in 1869 removed to Lebanon, 
Missouri. He began his congressional career 
in 1873, when he was elected as a Demo- 
crat to the forty-third congress, and he was 
regularly re-elected to every congress after 
that time up to the fifty-fourth, when he was 
defeated for re-election, but was returned 
to the fifty-fifth congress as a Silver Demo- 
crat. During all his protracted service, 
while Mr. Bland was always steadfast in his 
support of democratic measures, yet he won 
his special renown as the great advocate of 
silver, being strongly in favor of the free 
and unlimited coinage of silver, and on ac- 
count of his pronounced views was one of 
the candidates for the presidential nomina- 
tion of the Democratic party at Chicago in 



FANNY DAVENPORT (F. L. G. Daven- 
port) was of British birth, but she be- 
longs to the American stage. She was the 
daughter of the famous actor, E. L. Daven- 
port, and was born in London in 1850. 
She first went on the stage as a child at the 
Howard Athenaeum, Boston, and her entire 
life was spent upon the stage. She played 
children's parts at Burton's old theater in 
Chambers street, and then, in 1862, appeared 
as the King of Spain in " Faint Heart Never 
Won Fair Lady." Here she attracted the 
notice of Augustin Daly, the noted mana- 
ger, then at the Fifth Avenue theater, who 
offered her a six weeks' engagement with 
her father in "London Assurance." She 
afterwards appeared at the same house in a 
variety of characters, and her versatility 
was favorably noticed by the critics. After 
the burning of the old Fifth Avenue, the 
present theater of that name was built at 
Twenty-eighth street, and here Miss Daven- 
port appeared in a play written for her by 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



107 



Mr. Daly. She scored a great success. 
She then starred in this play throughout the 
country, and was married to Mr. Edwin F. 
Price, an actor of her company, in 1880. 
In 1882 she went to Paris and purchased 
the right to produce in America Sardou's 
great emotional play, "Fedora." It was 
put on at the Fourteenth Street theater in 
New York, and in it she won popular favor 
and became one of the most famous actresses 
of her time. 



HORACE BRIGHAM CLAFLIN, one 
of the greatest merchants America has 
produced, was born in Milford, Massachu- 
setts, a son of John Claflin, also a mer- 
chant. Young Claflin started his active life 
as a clerk in his father's store, after having 
been offered the opportunity of a college 
education, but with the characteristic 
promptness that was one of his virtues he 
exclaimed, "No law or medicine for me." 
He had set his heart on being a merchant, 
and when his father retired he and his 
brother Aaron, and his brother-in-law, Sam- 
uel Daniels, conducted the business. Mr. 
Claflin was not content, however, to run a 
store in a town like Milford, and accordingly 
opened a dry goods store at Worcester, with 
his brother as a partner, but the partnership 
was dissolved a year later and H. B. Claflin 
assumed complete control. The business 
in Worcester had been conducted on ortho- 
dox principles, and when Mr. Claflin came 
there and introduced advertising as a means 
of drawing trade, he created considerable 
animosity among the older merchants. Ten 
years later he was one of the most prosper- 
ous merchants. He disposed of his busi- 
ness in Worcester for $30,000, and went to 
New York to search for a wider field than 
that of a shopkeeper. Mr. Claflin and 
William M. Bulkley started in the dry goods 



business there under the firm name of Bulk- 
ley & Claflin, in 1843, a °d Mr Bulkley was 
connected with the firm until 1851, when he 
retired. A new firm was then formed under 
the name of Claflin, Mellin & Co. This 
firm succeeded in founding the largest dry 
goods house in the world, and after weather- 
ing the dangers of the civil war, during 
which the house came very near going un- 
der, and was saved only by the superior 
business abilities of Mr. Claflin, continued to 
grow. The sales of the firm amounted to 
over $72,000,000 a year after the close of 
the war. Mr. Claflin died November 14, 
1885. 

CHARLOTTE CUSHMAN (Charlotte 
Saunders Cushman), one of the most 
celebrated American actresses, was born in 
Boston, July 23, 1816. She was descended 
from one of the earliest Puritan families. 
Her first attempt at stage work was at the 
age of fourteen years in a charitable concert 
given by amateurs in Boston. From this 
time her advance to the first place on the 
American lyric stage was steady, until, in 
1835, while singing in New Orleans, she 
suddenly lost control of her voice so far as 
relates to singing, and was compelled to re- 
tire. She then took up the study for the 
dramatic stage under the direction of Mr. 
Barton, the tragedian. She soon after 
made her debut as "Lady Macbeth." She 
appeared in New York in September, 1836, 
and her success was immediate. Her 
"Romeo" was almost perfect, and she is 
the only woman that has ever appeared in 
the part of "Cardinal Wolsey." She at 
different times acted as support of Forrest 
and Macready. Her London engagement, 
secured in 1845, after many and great dis- 
couragements, proved an unqualified suc- 
cess. 



108 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



Her farewell appearance was at Booth's 
theater, New York, November 7, 1874, in 
the part of " Lady Macbeth," and after that 
performance an Ode by R. H. Stoddard 
was read, and a body of citizens went upon 
the stage, and in their name the venerable 
poet Longfellow presented her with a wreath 
of laurel with an inscription to the effect 
that "she who merits the palm should bear 
it." From the time of her appearance as a 
modest girl in a charitable entertainment 
down to the time of final triumph as a tragic 
queen, she bore herself with as much honor 
to womanhood as to the profession she rep- 
resented. Her death occurred in Boston, 
February 18, 1876. By her profession she 
acquired a fortune of $600,000. 



NEAL DOW, one of the most prominent 
temperance reformers our country has 
known, was born in Portland, Me., March 20, 
1804. He received his education in the 
Friends Seminary, at New Bedford, Massa- 
chusetts, his parents being members of that 
sect. After leaving school he pursued a 
mecrantile and manufacturing career for a 
number of years. He was active in the 
affairs of his native city, and in 1839 be- 
came chief of the fire department, and in 
1851 was elected mayor. He was re-elected 
to the latter office in 1 854. ' Being opposed 
to the liquor traffic he was a champion of 
the project of prohibition, first brought for- 
ward in 1 S39 by James Appleton. While 
serving his first term as mayor he drafted a 
bill for the "suppression of drinking houses 
and tippling shops," which he took to the 
legislature and which was passed without an 
alteration. In 1858 Mr. Dow was elected 
to the legislature. On the outbreak of the 
Civil war he was appointed colonel of the 
Thirteenth Maine Infantry and accompanied 
General Butler's expedition to New Orleans. 



In 1862 he was made brigadier-general. At 
the battle of Port Hudson May 27, 1863, he 
was twice wounded, and taken prisoner. He 
was confined at Libby prison and Mobile 
nearly a year, when, being exchanged, he 
resigned, his health having given way under 
the rigors of his captivity. He made sev- 
eral trips to England in the interests of 
temperance organization, where he addressed 
large audiences. He was the candidate of 
the National Prohibition party for the presi- 
dency in 1880, receiving about ten thousand 
votes. In 1884 he was largely instrumental 
in the amendment of the constitution of 
Maine, adopted by an overwhelming popular 
vote, which forever forbade the manufacture 
or sale of any intoxicating beverages, and 
commanding the legislature to enforce the 
prohibition. He died October 2, 1897. 



ZACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth president 
of the United States, was born in 
Orange county, Virginia, September 24, 
1784. His boyhood was spent on his fath- 
er's plantation and his education was lim- 
ited. In 1808 he was made lieutenant of 
the Seventh Infantry, and joined his regi- 
ment at New Orleans. He was promoted 
to captain in 18 10, and commanded at Fort 
Harrison, near the present site of Terre 
Haute, in 18 12, where, for his gallant de- 
fense, he was brevetted major, attaining full 
rank in 18 14. In 1815 he retired to an es- 
tate near Louisville. In 18 16 here-entered 
the army as major, and was promoted to 
lieutenant-colonel and then to colonel. 
Having for many years been Indian agent 
over a large portion of the western country, 
he was often required in Washington to give 
advice and counsel in matters connected 
with the Indian bureau. He served through 
the Black Hawk Indian war of 1832, and in 
1837 was ordered to the command of the 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



109 



army in Florida, where he attacked the In- 
dians in the swamps and brakes, defeated 
them and ended the war. He was brevetted 
brigadier-general and made commander-in- 
chief of the army in Florida. He was as- 
signed to the command of the army of the 
southwest in 1840, But was soon after re- 
lieved of it at his request. He was then 
stationed at posts in Arkansas. In 1845 he 
was ordered to prepare to protect and de- 
fend Texas boundaries from invasion by 
Mexicans and Indians. On the annexation 
of Texas he proceeded with one thousand 
five hundred men to Corpus Christi, within 
the disputed territory. After reinforcement 
he was ordered by the Mexican General Am- 
pudia to retire beyond the Nueces river, 
with which order he declined to comply. 
The battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma followed, and he crossed the Rio 
Grande and occupied Matamoras May 1 8th. 
He was commissioned major-general for this 
campaign, and in September he advanced 
upon the city of Monterey and captured it 
after a hard fight. Here he took up winter 
quarters, and when he was about to resume 
activity in the spring he was ordered to send 
the larger part of his army to reinforce 
General Scott at Vera Cruz. After leaving 
garrisons at various points his army was re- 
duced to about five thousand, mostly fresh 
recruits. He was attacked by the army of 
Santa Anna at Buena Vista, February 22, 
1847, and after a severe fight completely 
routed the Mexicans. He received the 
thanks of congress and a gold medal for 
this victory. He remained in command of 
the " army of occupation " until winter, 
when he returned to the United States. 

In 1848 General Taylor was nominated 
by the Whigs for president. He was elected 
over his two opponents, Cass and Van 
Buren. Great bitterness was developing in 



the struggle for and against the extension of 
slavery, and the newly acquired territory in 
the west, and the fact that the states were 
now equally divided on that question, tended 
to increase the feeling. President Taylor 
favored immediate admission of California 
with her constitution prohibiting slavery, 
and the admission of other states to be 
formed out of the new territory as they 
might elect as they adopted constitutions 
from time to time. This policy resulted in 
the " Omnibus Bill," which afterward passed 
congress, though in separate bills; not, how- 
ever, until after the death of the soldier- 
statesman, which occurred July 9, 1850. 
One of his daughters became the wife of 
Jefferson Davis. 



M' 



ELVILLE D. LANDON, better known 
as " Eli Perkins, " author, lecturer and 
humorist, was born in Eaton, New York, 
September 7, 1839. He was the son of 
John Landon and grandson of Rufus Lan- 
don, a revolutionary soldier from Litchfield 
county, Connecticut. Melville was edu- 
cated at the district school and neighboring 
academy, where he was prepared for the 
sophomore class at Madison University. He 
passed two years at the latter, when he was 
admitted to Union College, and graduated 
in the class of 1861, receiving the degree of 
A. M., in 1862. He was, at once, ap- 
pointed to a position in the treasury depart- 
ment at Washington. This being about the 
time of the breaking out of the war, and 
before the appearance of any Union troops 
at the capital, he assisted in the organiza- 
tion of the " Clay Battalion," of Washing- 
ton. Leaving his clerkship some time later, 
he took up duties on the staff of General A. 
L. Chetlain, who was in command at Mem- 
phis. In 1864 he resigned from the army 
and engaged in cotton planting in Arkansas 



110 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



and Louisiana. In 1867 he went abroad, 
making the tour of Europe, traversing Rus- 
sia. While in the latter country his old 
commander of the " Clay Battalion," Gen- 
eral Cassius M. Clay, then United States 
minister at St. Petersburg, made him secre- 
tary of legation. In 1 87 1, on returning to 
America, he published a history of the 
Franco-Prussian war, and followed it with 
numerous humorous writings for the public 
press under the name of "Eli Perkins," 
which, with his regular contributions to the 
" Commercial Advertiser," brought him into 
notice, and spread his reputation as,a hu- 
morist throughout thecountry. He also pub- 
lished "Saratoga in 1891," "Wit, Humor 
and Pathos," ' ' Wit and Humor of the Age," 
■' Kings of Platform and Pulpit," " Thirty 
Years of Wit and Humor," " Fun and Fact," 
and " China and Japan." 



LEWIS CASS, one of the most prom- 
inent statesman and party leaders of his 
day, was born at Exeter, New Hampshire, 
October 9, 1782. He studied law, and hav- 
ing removed to Zanesville, Ohio, commenced 
the practice of that profession in 1802. He 
entered the service of the American govern- 
ment in 18 12 and was made a colonel in 
the army under General William Hull, and 
on the surrender of Fort Maiden by that 
officer was held as a prisoner. Being re- 
leased in 1813, he was promoted to the 
rank of brigadier-general and in 18 14 ap- 
pointed governor of Michigan Territory. 
After he had held that office for some 
sixteen years, negotiating, in the meantime, 
many treaties with the Indians, General 
Cass was made secretary of war in the cabi- 
net of President Jackson, in 1 83 1. He was, 
in 1836, appointed minister to France, 
which office he held for six years. In 1844 
he was elected United States senator from 



Michigan. In 1846 General Cass opposed 
the Wilmot Proviso, which was an amend- 
ment to a bill for the purchase of land from 
Mexico, which provided that in any of the 
territory acquired from that power slavery 
should not exist. For this and other reasons 
he was nominated as Democratic candidate 
for the presidency of the United States in 
1848, but was defeated by General Zachary 
Taylor, the Whig candidate, having but 
one hundred and thirty-seven electoral votes 
to his opponent's one hundred and sixty- 
three. In 1849 General Cass was re-elected 
to the senate of the United States, and in 
1854 supported Douglas' Kansas-Nebraska 
bill. He became secretary of state in 
March, 1857, under President Buchanan, 
but resigned that office in December, i860. 
He died June 17, 1866. The published 
works of Lewis Cass, while not numerous, 
are well written and display much ability. 
He was one of the foremost men of his day 
in the political councils of the Democratic 
party, and left a reputation for high probity 
and honor behind him. 



DEWITT CLINTON.— Probably there 
were but few men who were so popular 
in their time, or who have had so much in- 
fluence in moulding events as the individual 
whose name honors the head of this article. 
De Witt Clinton was the son of General 
James Clinton, and a nephew of Governor 
George Clinton, who was the fourth vice- 
president of the United States. He was a 
native of Orange county, New York, born at 
Little Britain, March 2, 1769. He gradu- 
ated from Columbia College, in his native 
state, in 1796, and took up the study of law. 
In 1790 he became private secretary to his 
uncle, then governor of New York. He en- 
tered public life as a Republican or anti- 
Federalist, and was elected to the lower 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



Ill 



house of the state assembly in 1797, and the 
senate of that body in 1798. At that time 
he was looked on as "the most rising man 
in the Union." In 1801 he was elected to 
the United States senate. In 1803 he was 
appointed by the governor and council 
mayor of the city of New York, then a 
very important and powerful office. Hav- 
ing been re-appointed, he held the office 
of mayor for nearly eleven years, and 
rendered great service to that city. Mr. 
Clinton served as lieutenant-governor of 
the state of New York, 1811-13, and 
was one of the commissioners appointed 
to examine and survey a route for a canal 
from the Hudson river to Lake Erie. Dif- 
fering with President Madison, in relation to 
the war, in 18 12, he was nominated for the 
presidency against that gentleman, by a 
coalition party called the Clintonians, many 
of whom were Federalists. Clinton received 
eight-nine electoral votes. His course at 
this time impaired his popularity for a time. 
He was removed from the mayoralty in 
1814, and retired to private life. In 1815 
he wrote a powerful argument for the con- 
struction of the Erie canal, then a great and 
beneficent work of which he was the prin- 
cipal promoter. This was in the shape of 
a memorial to the legislature, which, in 
18 17, passed a bill authorizing the construc- 
tion of that canal. The same year he was 
elected governor of New York, almost unani- 
mously, notwithstanding the opposition of 
a few who pronounced the scheme of the 
canal visionary. He was re-elected governor 
in 1820. He was at this time, also, presi- 
dent of the canal commissioners. He de- 
clined a re-election to the gubernatorial 
chair in 1822 and was removed from his 
place on the canal board two years later. 
But he was triumphantly elected to the of- 
fice of governor that fall, and his pet project, 



the Erie canal, was finished the next year. 
He was re-elected governor in 1826, but 
died while holding that office, February II, 



AARON BURR, one of the many brilliant 
figures on the political stage in the early 
days of America, was born at Newark, New 
Jersey, February 6, 1756. He was the son 
of Aaron and Esther Burr, the former the 
president of the College of New Jersey, and 
the latter a daughter of Jonathan Edwards, 
who had been president of the same educa- 
tional institution. Young Burr graduated 
at Princeton in 1772. In 1775 he joined 
the provincial army at Cambridge, Massa- 
chusetts. For a time, he served as a private 
soldier, but later was made an aide on the 
staff of the unfortunate General Montgom- 
ery, in the Quebec expedition. Subse- 
quently he was on the staffs of Arnold, Put- 
nam and Washington, the latter of whom 
he disliked. He was promoted to the rank 
of lieutenant-colonel and commanded a 
brigade on Monmouth's bloody field. In 
I 779> on account of feeble health, Colonel 
Burr resigned from the army. He took up 
the practice of law in Albany, New York, 
but subsequently removed to New York City. 
In 1789 he became attorney-general of that 
state. In 1791 he was chosen to represent 
the state of New York in the United States 
senate and held that position for six years. 
In 1800 he and Thomas Jefferson were both 
candidates for the presidency, and there 
being a tie in the electoral college, each 
having seventy-three votes, the choice was 
left to congress, who gave the first place to 
Jefferson and made Aaron Burr vice-presi- 
dent, as the method then was. In 1 804 Mr. 
Burr and his great rival, Alexander Hamil- 
ton, met in a duel, which resulted in the 
death of the latter, Burr losing thereby con- 



112 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



siderable political and social influence. He 
soon embarked in a wild attempt upon 
Mexico, and as was asserted, upon the 
southwestern territories of the United 
States. He was tried for treason at 
Richmond, Virginia, in 1807, but acquitted, 
and to avoid importunate creditors, fled to 
Europe. Afteratime, in 1812, he returned 
to New York, where he practiced law, and 
where he died, September 14, 1836. A man 
of great ability, brilliant and popular talents, 
his influence was destroyed by his unscrupu- 
lous political actions and immoral private 
life. 

ALBERT GALLATIN, one of the most 
distinguished statesmen of the early 
days of the republic, was born at Geneva, 
Switzerland, January 29, 1761. He was 
the son of Jean de Gallatin and Sophia A. 
Rolaz du Rosey Gallatin, representatives of 
an old patrician family. Albert Gallatin 
was left an orphan at an early age, and was 
educated under the care of friends of his 
parents. He graduated from the University 
of Geneva in 1779, and declining employ- 
ment under one of the sovereigns of Ger- 
many, came to the struggling colonies, land- 
ing in Boston July 14, 1780. Shortly after 
his arrival he proceeded to Maine, where he 
served as a volunteer under Colonel Allen. 
He made advances to the government for 
the support of the American troops, and in 
November, 1780, was placed in command 
of a small fort at Passamaquoddy, defended 
by a force of militia, volunteers and Indians. 
In 1783 he was professor of the French 
language at Harvard University. A year 
later, having received his patrimony from 
Europe, he purchased large tracts of land 
in western Virginia, but was prevented by 
the Indians from forming the large settle- 
ment he proposed, and, in 1786, purchased 



a farm in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. 
In 1789 he was a member of the convention 
to amend the constitution of that state, and 
united himself with the Republican party, 
the head of which was Thomas Jefferson. 
The following year he was elected to the 
legislature of Pennsylvania, to which he was 
subsequently re-elected. In 1793 he was 
elected to the United States senate, but 
could not take his seat on account of not 
having been a citizen long enough. In 1794 
Mr. Gallatin was elected to the representa- 
tive branch of congress, in which he served 
three terms. He also took an important 
position in the suppression of the "whiskey 
insurrection." In 1S01, on the accession of 
Jefferson to the presidency, Mr. Gallatin 
was appointed secretary of the treasury. 
In 1809 Mr. Madison offered him the posi- 
tion of secretary of state, but he declined, 
and continued at the head of the treasury 
until 1812, a period of twelve years. He 
exercised a great influence on the other de- 
partments and in the general administration, 
especially in the matter of financial reform, 
and recommended measures for taxation, 
etc. , which were passed by congress, and be- 
came laws May 24, 1 8 1 3 . The same year he 
was sent as an envoy extraordinary to Rus- 
sia, which had offered to mediate between 
this country and Great Britain, but the lat- 
ter country refusing the interposition of 
another power, and agreeing to treat di- 
rectly with the United States, in 18 14, at 
Ghent, Mr. Gallatin, in connection with his 
distinguished colleagues, negotiated and 
signed the treaty of peace. In 181 5, in 
conjunction with Messrs. Adams and Clay, 
he signed, at London, a commercial treaty 
between the two countries. In 18 16, de- 
clining his old post at the head of the treas- 
ury, Mr. Gallatin was sent as minister to 
France, where he remained until 1823. 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



118 



After a year spent in England as envoy ex- 
traordinary, he took up his residence in New 
York, and from that time held no public 
office. In 1830 he was chosen president of 
the council of the University of New York. 
He was, in 1831, made president of the 
National bank, which position he resigned 
in 1839. He died August 12, 1849. 



MILLARD FILLMORE, the thirteenth 
president of the United States, was 
born of New England parentage in Summer 
Hill, Cayuga county, New York, January 7, 
1800. His school education was very lim- 
ited, but he occupied his leisure hours in 
study. He worked in youth upon his fa- 
ther's farm in his native county, and at the 
age of fifteen was apprenticed to a wool 
carder and cloth dresser. Four years later 
he was induced by Judge Wood to enter his 
office at Montville, New York, and take up 
the study of law. This warm friend, find- 
ing young Fillmore destitute of means, 
loaned him money, but the latter, not wish- 
ing to incur a heavy debt, taught school 
during part of the time and in this and other 
ways helped maintain himself. In 1822 he 
removed to Buffalo, New York, and the year 
following, being admitted to the bar, he 
commenced the practice of his profession 
at East Aurora, in the same state. Here 
he remained until 1830, having, in the 
meantime, been admitted to practice in the 
supreme court, when he returned to Buffalo, 
where he became the partner of S. G. 
Haven and N. K. Hall. He entered poli- 
tics and served in the state legislature from 
1829 to 1832. He was in congress in 1 833— 
35 and in 1837-41, where he proved an 
active and useful member, favoring the 
views of John Quincy Adams, then battling 
almost alone the slave-holding party in na- 
tional politics, and in most of public ques- 



tions acted with the Whig party. While 
chairman of the committee of ways and 
means he took a leading part in draughting 
the tariff bill of 1842. In 1844 Mr. Fill- 
more was the Whig candidate fo r governor 
of New York. In 1847 he was chosen 
comptroller of the state, and abandoning 
his practice and profession removed to Al- 
bany. In 1848 he was elected vice presi- 
dent on the ticket with General Zachary 
Taylor, and they were inaugurated the fol- 
lowing March. On the death of the presi- 
dent, July 9, 1850, Mr. Fillmore was in- 
ducted into that office. The great events 
of his administration were the passage of 
the famous compromise acts of 1850, and 
the sending out of the Japan expedition of 
1852. 

March 4, 1853, having served one term, 
President Fillmore retired from office, and 
in 1855 went to Europe, where he received 
marked attention. On returning home, in 
1856, he was nominated for the presidency 
by the Native American or "Know-Noth- 
ing" party, but was defeated, James Buch- 
anan being the successful candidate. 

Mr. Fillmore ever afterward lived in re- 
tirement. During the conflict of Civil war 
he was mostly silent. It was generally sup- 
posed, however, that his sympathy was with 
the southern confederacy. He kept aloof 
from the conflict without any words of cheer 
to the one party or the other. For this rea- 
son he was forgotten by both. He died of 
paralysis, in Buffalo, New York, March 8, 
1874- 

PETER F. ROTHERMEL, one of Amer- 
ica's greatest and best-known historical 
painters, was born in Luzerne county, Penn- 
sylvania, July 8, 1817, and was of German 
ancestry. He received his earlier education 
in his native county, and in Philadelphia 



114 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



learned the profession of land surveying. 
But a strong bias toward art drew him away 
and he soon opened a studio where he did 
portrait painting. This soon gave place to 
historical painting, he having discovered the 
bent of his genius in that direction. Be- 
sides the two pictures in the Capitol at 
Washington — ' 'DeSoto Discovering the Mis- 
sissippi" and "Patrick Henry Before the 
Virginia House of Burgesses" — Rothermel 
painted many others, chief among which 
are: "Columbus Before Queen Isabella," 
"Martyrs of the Colosseum," "Cromwell 
Breaking Up Service in an English Church, " 
and the famous picture of the "Battle 
of Gettysburg." The last named was 
painted for the state of Pennsylvania, for 
which Rothermel received the sum of $25,- 
000, and which it took him four years to 
plan and to paint. It represents the portion 
of that historic field held by the First corps, 
an exclusively Pennsylvania body of men, 
and was selected by Rothermel for that 
reason. For many years most of his time 
was spent in Italy, only returning for short 
periods. He died at Philadelphia, August 
16, 1895. 

EDMUND KIRBY SMITH, one of the 
distinguished leaders upon the side of the 
south in the late Civil war, was born at St. 
Augustine, Florida, in 1824. After receiv- 
ing the usual education he was appointed to 
the United States Military Academy at West 
Point, from which he graduated in 1845 and 
entered the army as second lieutenant of 
infantry. During the Mexican war he was 
made first lieutenant and captain for gallant 
conduct at Cerro Gordo and Contreras. 
From 1849 to 1852 he was assistant pro- 
fessor of mathematics at West Point. He 
was transferred to the Second cavalry with 
the rank of captain in 1855, served on the 



frontier, and was wounded in a fight with 
Comanche Indians in Texas, May 13, 1859. 
In January, 1861, he became major of his 
regiment, but resigned April 9th to fol- 
low the fortunes of the southern cause. 
He was appointed brigadier-general in the 
Confederate army and served in Virginia. 
At the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, 
he arrived on the field late in the day, but 
was soon disabled by a wound. He was 
made major-general in 1 862, and being trans- 
ferred to East Tennessee, was given com- 
mand of that department. Under General 
Braxton Bragg he led the advance in the 
invasion of Kentucky and defeated the Union 
forces at Richmond, Kentucky, August 30, . 

1862, and advanced to Frankfort. Pro- 
moted to the rank of lieutenant-general, he 
was engaged at the battle of Perryville, 
October 10, and in the battle of Murfrees- 
boro, December 31, 1862, and January 3, 

1863. He was soon made general, the 
highest rank in the service, and in com- 
mand of the trans-Mississippi department 
opposed General N. P. Banks in the famous 
Red River expedition, taking part in the 
battle of Jenkins Ferry, April 30, 1864, and 
other engagements of that eventful cam- 
paign. He was the last to surrender the 
forces under his command, which he did 
May 26, 1865. After the close of the war 
he located in Tennessee, where he died 
March 28, 1893. 



JOHN JAMES INGALLS, a famous 
J American statesman, was born Decem- 
ber 29, 1833, at Middleton, Massachusetts, 
where he was reared and received his early 
education. He went to Kansas in 1858 
and joined the free-soil army, and a year 
after his arrival he was a member of the his- 
torical Wyandotte convention, which drafted 
a free-state constitution. In i860 he was 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



115 



made secretary of the territorial council, 
and in 1861 was secretary of the state sen- 
ate. The next year he was duly elected to 
the legitimate state senate from Atchison, 
where he had made his home. From that 
time he was the leader of the radical Re- 
publican element in the state. He became 
the editor of the "Atchison Champion " in 
1863, which was a "red-hot free-soil Re- 
publican organ." In 1862 he was the anti- 
Lane candidate for lieutenant-governor, but 
was defeated. He was elected to the Unit- 
ed States senate to succeed Senator Pom- 
eroy, and took his seat in the forty-third 
congress and served until the fiftieth. In 
the forty-ninth congress he succeeded Sen- 
ator Sherman as president pro tern., which 
position he held through the fiftieth con- 
gress. 

BENJAMIN WEST, the greatest of the 
early American painters, was of Eng- 
lish descent and Quaker parentage. He was 
born in Springfield, Pennsylvania, in 1738. 
From what source he inherited his genius it 
is hard to imagine, since the tenets and 
tendencies of the Quaker faith were not cal- 
culated to encourage the genius of art, but 
at the age of nine years, with no suggestion 
except that of inspiration, we find him choos- 
ing his model from life, and laboring over 
his first work calculated to attract public 
notice. It was a representation of a sleep- 
ing child in its cradle. The brush with 
which he painted it was made of hairs 
which he plucked from the cat's tail, and 
the colors were obtained from the war paints 
of friendly Indians, his mother's indigo bag, 
and ground chalk and charcoal, and the juice 
of berries, but there were touches in the rude 
production that he declared in later days 
were a credit to his best works. The pic- 
ture attracted notice, for a council was 



called at once to pass upon the boy's con- 
duct in thus infringing the laws of the so- 
ciety. There were judges among them who 
saw in his genius a rare gift and their wis- 
dom prevailed, and the child was given per- 
mission to follow his inclination. He studied 
under a painter named Williams, and then 
spent some years as a portrait painter with 
advancing success. At the age of twenty- 
two he went to Italy, and not until he had 
perfected himself by twenty-three years of 
labor in that paradise of art was he satisfied 
to turn his face toward home. However, he 
stopped at London, and decided to settle 
there, sending to America for his intended 
bride to join him. Though the Revolution- 
ary war was raging, King George III showed 
the American artist the highest considera- 
tion and regard. His remuneration from 
works for royalty amounted to five thou- 
sand dollars per year for thirty years. 

West's best known work in America is, 
perhaps, "The Death of General Wolf." 
West was one of the thirty-six original mem- 
bers of the Royal academy and succeeded 
Joshua Reynolds as president, which posi- 
tion he held until his death. His early 
works were his best, as he ceased to display 
originality in his later life, conventionality 
having seriously affected his efforts. He 
died in 1820. 



SAMUEL PORTER JONES, the famous 
Georgia evangelist, was born October 
16, 1847, in Chambers county, Alabama. 
He did not attend school regularly during 
his boyhood, but worked on a farm, and 
went to school at intervals, on account of 
ill health. His father removed to Carters- 
ville, Georgia, when Mr. Jones was a small 
boy. He quit school at the age of nineteen 
and never attended college. The war inter- 
fered with his education, which was intended 



116 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



to prepare him for the legal profession. 
After the war he renewed his preparation 
for college, but was compelled to desist from 
such a course, as his health failed him en- 
tirely. Later on, however, he still pursued 
his legal studies and was admitted to the 
bar. Soon after this event he went to Dal- 
las, Paulding county, Georgia, where he was 
engaged in the practice of his profession, 
and in a few months removed to Cherokee 
county, Alabama, where he taught school. 
In 1869 he returned to Cartersville, Georgia, 
and arrived in time to see his father die. 
Immediately after this event he applied for 
a license to preach, and went to Atlanta, 
Georgia, to the meeting of the North Geor- 
gia Conference of the M. E. church south, 
which received him on trial. He became 
an evangelist of great note, and traveled 
extensively, delivering his sermons in an 
inimitable style that made him very popular 
with the masses, his methods of conducting 
revivals being unique and original and his 
preaching practical and incisive. 



SHELBY MOORE CULLOM, a national 
character in political affairs and for 
many years United States senator from 
Illinois, was born November 22, 1829, at 
Monticello, Kentucky. He came with his 
parents to Illinois in 1830 and spent his early 
yearson a farm , but having formed the purpose 
of devoting himself to the lawyer's profession 
he spent two years study at the Rock River 
seminary at Mount Morris, Illinois. In 1853 
Mr. Cullom entered the law office of Stuart 
and Edwards at Springfield, Illinois, and two 
years later he began the independent prac- 
tice of law in that city. He took an active 
interest in politics and was soon elected city 
attorney of Springfield. In 1856 he was 
elected a member of the Illinois house of 
representatives. He identified himself with 



the newly formed Republican party and in 
i860 was re-elected to the legislature of his 
state, in which he was chosen speaker of the 
house. In 1862 President Lincoln appoint- 
ed a commission to pass upon and examine 
the accounts of the United States quarter- 
masters and disbursing officers, composed 
as follows: Shelby M. Cullom, of Illinois; 
Charles A. Dana, of New York, and 
Gov. Boutwell, of Massachusetts. Mr. 
Cullom was nominated for congress in 
1864, and was elected by a majority of 
1,785. In the house of representatives he 
became an active and aggressive member, 
was chairman of the committee on territories 
and served in congress until 1868. Mr. 
Cullom was returned to the state legislature, 
of which he was chosen speaker in 1872, 
and was re-elected in 1874. In 1876 he 
was elected governor of Illinois and at the 
end of his term he was chosen for a second 
term. He was elected United States senator 
in 1883 and twice re-elected. 



RICHARD JORDAN GATLING, an 
American inventor of much note, was 
born in Hertford county, North Carolina, 
September 12, 1 818. At an early age he 
gave promise of an inventive genius. The 
first emanation from his mind was the 
invention of a screw for the propulsion of 
water craft, but on application for a 
patent, found that he was forestalled but 
a short time by John Ericsson. Subse- 
quently he invented a machine for sowing 
wheat in drills, which was used to a great 
extent throughout the west. He then stud- 
ied medicine, and in 1847-8 attended 
lectures at the Indiana Medical College 
at Laporte, and in 1848-9 at the Ohio 
Medical College at Cincinnati. He later 
discovered a method of transmitting power 
through the medium of compressed air. A 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRATHT. 



119 



double-acting hemp break was also invented 
by him. The invention, however, by which 
Dr. Gatling became best known was the 
famous machine gun which bears his name. 
This he brought to light in 1861-62, and on 
the first trial of it, in the spring of the latter 
year, two hundred shots per minute were 
fired from it. After making some improve- 
ments which increased its efficiency, it was 
submitted to severe trials by our govern- 
ment at the arsenals at Frankfort, Wash- 
ington and Fortress Monroe, and at other 
points. The gun was finally adopted by 
our government, as well as by that of Great 
Britain, Russia and others. 



BENJAMIN RYAN TILLMAN, who won 
a national fame in politics, was born 
August 11, 1847, in Edgefield county, South 
Carolina. He received his education in the 
Oldfield school, where he acquired the 
rudiments of Latin and Greek, in addition 
to a good English education. He left school 
in 1864 to join the Confederate army, but 
was prevented from doing so by a severe 
illness, which resulted in the loss of an eye. 
In 1867 he removed to Florida, but returned 
in 1868, when he was married and devoted 
himself to farming. He was chairman of 
the Democratic organization of his county, 
but except a few occasional services he took 
no active part in politics then. Gradually, 
however, his attention was directed to the 
depressed condition of the farming interests 
of his state, and in August, 1885, before a 
joint meeting of the agricultural society and 
state grange at Bennettsville, he made a 
speech in which he set forth the cause of 
agricultural depression and urged measures 
of relief. From his active interest in the 
farming class he was styled the "Agricult- 
ural Moses." He advocated an industrial 

school for women and for a separate agri- 
7 



cultural college, and in 1887 he secured a 
modification in the final draft of the will of 
Thomas G. Clemson, which resulted in the 
erection of the Clemson Agricultural Col- 
lege at Fort Hill. In 1890 he was chosen 
governor on the Democratic ticket, and 
carried the election by a large majority. 
Governor Tillman was inaugurated Decem- 
ber 4, 1890. Mr. Tillman was next elected 
to the United States senate from South 
Carolina, and gained a national reputation 
by his fervid oratory. 



GEORGE DENISON PRENTICE.— 
No journalist of America was so cele- 
brated in his time for the wit, spice, and 
vigor of his writing, as the gentleman whose 
name heads this sketch. From Atlantic to 
Pacific he was well known by his witticism 
as well as by strength and force of his edi- 
torials. He was a native of Preston, Con- 
necticut, born December 18, 1802. After 
laying the foundation of a liberal education 
in his youth, he entered Brown University, 
from which he was graduated in 1823. Tak- 
ing up the study of law, he was admitted to 
the bar in 1S29. During part of his time 
he was editor of the " New England Weekly 
Review," a position which he relinquished 
to go south and was succeeded by John 
Greenleaf Whittier, the Quaker poet. 

On arriving in Louisville, whither he 
had gone to gather items for his history of 
Henry Clay, Mr. Prentice became identified 
with the " Louisville Journal," which, under 
his hands, became one of the leading Whig 
newspapers of the country. At the head of 
this he remained until the day of his death. 
This latter event occurred January 22, 1870, 
and he was succeeded in the control of the 
" Journal " by Colonel Henry Watterson. 

Mr. Prentice was an author of consider- 
able celebrity, chief among his works being 



120 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



"The Life of Henry Clay," and " Prentice- 
ana," a collection of wit and humor, that 
passed through several large editions. 



SAM. HOUSTON, in the opinion of some 
critics one of the most remarkable men 
who ever figured in American history, was a 
native of Rockbridge county, Virginia, born 
March 2, 1793. Early in life he was left in 
destitute circumstances by the death of his 
father, and, with his mother, removed to 
Tennessee, then almost a boundless wilder- 
ness. He received but little education, 
spending the most of his time among the 
Cherokee Indians. Part of the time of his 
residence there Houston acted as clerk for a 
trader and also taught one of the primitive 
schools of the day. In 181 3 he enlisted as 
private in the United States army and was 
engaged under General Jackson in the war 
with the Creek Indians. When peace was 
made Houston was a lieutenant, but he re- 
signed his commission and commenced the 
study of law at Nashville. After holding 
some minor offices he was elected member 
of congress from Tennessee. This was in 
1823. He retained this office until 1827, 
when he was chosen governor of the state. 
In 1829, resigning that office before the ex- 
piration of his term, Sam Houston removed 
to Arkansas, and made his home among the 
Cherokees, becoming the agent of that 
tribe and representing their interests at 
Washington. On a visit to Texas, just 
prior to the election of delegates to a con- 
vention called for the purpose of drawing 
up a constitution previous to the admission 
of the state into the Mexican union, he was 
unanimously chosen a delegate. The con- 
vention framed the constitution, but, it be- 
ing rejected by the government of Mexico, 
and the petition for admission to the Con- 
federacy denied and the Texans told by the 



president of the Mexican union to give up 
their arms, bred trouble. It was determined 
to resist this demand. A military force was 
soon organized, with General Houston at 
the head of it. War was prosecuted with 
great vigor, and with varying success, but 
at the battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836, 
the Mexicans were defeated and their leader 
and president, Santa Anna, captured. Texas 
was then proclaimed an independent repub- 
lic, and in October of the same year Hous- 
ton was inaugurated president. On the ad- 
mission of Texas to the Federal Union, in 
1845, Houston was elected senator, and 
held that position for twelve years. Oppos- 
ing the idea of secession, he retired from 
political life in 1861, and died at Hunts- 
ville, Texas, July 25, 1863. 



ELI WHITNEY, the inventor of the cot- 
ton-gin, was born in Westborough, Mas- 
sachusetts, December 8, 1765. After his 
graduation from Yale College, he went to 
Georgia, where he studied law, and lived 
with the family of the widow of General 
Nathaniel Greene. At that time the only 
way known to separate the cotton seed from 
the fiber was by hand, making it extremely 
slow and expensive, and for this reason cot- 
ton was little cultivated in this country. 
Mrs. Greene urged the inventive Whitney 
to devise some means for accomplishing 
this work by machinery. This he finally 
succeeded in doing, but he was harassed by 
attempts to defraud him by those who had 
stolen his ideas. He at last formed a part- 
nership with a man named Miller, and they 
began the manufacture of the machines at 
Washington, Georgia, in 1795. The suc- 
cess of his invention was immediate, and the 
legislature of South Carolina voted the sum 
of $50,000 for his idea. This sum he had 
great difficulty in collecting, after years of 



COMTEXDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



121 



litigation and delay. North Carolina al- 
lowed him a royalty, and the same was 
agreed to by Tennessee, but was never paid. 

While his fame rests upon the invention 
of the cotton-gin, his fortune came from his 
improvements in the manufacture and con- 
struction of firearms. In 1798 the United 
States government gave him a contract for 
this purpose, and he accumulated a fortune 
from it. The town of Whitneyville, Con- 
necticut, was founded by this fortune. 
Whitney died at New Haven, Connecticut, 
January 8, 1825. 

The cotton-gin made the cultivation of 
cotton profitable, and this led to rapid in- 
troduction of slavery in the south. His in- 
vention thus affected our national history in 
a manner little dreamed of by the inventor. 



LESTER WALLACK (John Lester Wal- 
lack), for many years the leading light 
comedian upon the American stage, was 
the son of James W. Wallack, the " Brum- 
mell of the Stage." Both father and son 
were noted for their comeliness of feature 
and form. Lester Wallack was born in 
New York, January 1, 18 19. He received 
his education in England, and made his first 
appearance on the stage in 1848 at the New 
Broadway theater, New York. He acted 
light comedy parts, and also occasion- 
ally in romantic plays like Monte Cristo, 
which play made him his fame. He went 
to England and played under management 
of such men as Hamblin and Burton, and then 
returned to New York with his father, who 
opened the first Wallack's theater, at the 
corner of Broome and Broadway, in 1852. 
The location was afterward changed to 
Thirteenth and Broadway, in 1861, and 
later to its present location, Broadway and 
Thirteenth, in 1882. The elder Wallack 
died in 1864, after which Lester assumed 



management, jointly with Theodore Moss. 
Lester Wallack was commissioned in the 
queen's service while in England, and there 
he also married a sister to the famous artist, 
the late John Everett Millais. While Les- 
ter Wallack never played in the interior 
cities, his name was as familiar to the public 
as that of our greatest stars. He died Sep- 
tember 6, 1888, at Stamford, Connecticut. 



GEORGE MORTIMER PULLMAN, 
the palace car magnate, inventor, 
multi-millionaire and manufacturer, may 
well be classed among the remarkable 
self-made men of the century. He was 
born March 3, 1831, in Chautauqua county, 
New York. His parents were poor, and 
his education was limited to what he could 
learn of the rudimentary branches in the 
district school. At the age of fourteen he 
went to work as clerk for a country mer- 
chant. He kept this place three years, 
studying at night. When seventeen he 
went to Albion, New York, and worked for 
his brother, who kept a cabinet shop there. 
Five years later he went into business for 
himself as contractor for moving buildings 
along the line of the Erie canal, which was 
then being widened by the state, and was 
successful in thii. In 1858 he removed to 
Chicago and engaged in the business of 
moving and raising houses. The work was 
novel there then and he was quite success- 
ful. About this time the discomfort attend- 
ant on traveling at night attracted his at- 
tention. He reasoned that the public would 
gladly pay for comfortable sleeping accom- 
modations. A few sleeping cars were in 
use at that time, but they were wretchedly 
crude, uncomfortable affairs. In 1859 he 
bought two old day coaches from the Chi- 
cago & Alton road and remodeled them some- 
thing like the general plan of the sleeping 



122 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



cars of the present day. ' They were put 
into service on the Chicago & Alton and 
became popular at once. In 1863 he built 
the first sleeping-car resembling the Pullman 
cars of to-day. It cost $18,000 and was 
the "Pioneer." After that the Pullman 
Palace Car Company prospered. It had 
shops at different cities. In 1880 the Town 
of Pullman was founded by Mr. Pullman 
and his company, and this model manufac- 
turing community is known all over the 
world. Mr. Pullman died October 19, 1897. 



JAMES E. B. STUART, the most famous 
cavalry leader of the Southern Confed- 
eracy during the Civil war, was born in 
Patrick county, Virginia, in 1833. On 
graduating from the United States Military 
Academy, West Point, in 1854, he was as- 
signed, as second lieutenant, to a regiment 
of mounted rifles, receiving his commission 
in October. In March, 1855, he was trans- 
ferred to the newly organized First cavalry, 
and was promoted to first lieutenant the 
following December, and to captain April 
22, 1 86 1. Taking the side of the south, 
May 14, 1 861, he was made colonel of a 
Virginia cavalry regiment, and served as 
such at Bull Run. In September, 1861, he 
was promoted to the rank of brigadier-gen- 
erai, and major-general early in 1862. On 
the reorganization of the Army of Northern 
Virginia, in June of the latter year, when 
R. E. Lee assumed command, General Stu- 
art made a reconnoissance with one thou- 
sand five hundred cavalry and four guns, 
and in two days made the circuit of McClel- 
lan's army, producing much confusion and 
gathering useful information, and losing but 
one man. August 25, 1862, he captured 
part of Pope's headquarters' train, including 
that general's private baggage and official 
correspondence, and the next night, in a 



descent upon Manasses, capturing immense 
quantities of commissary and quartermaster 
store, eight guns, a number of locomotives 
and a few hundred prisoners. During the 
invasion of Maryland, in September, 1862, 
General Stuart acted as rearguard, resisting 
the advance of the Federal cavalry at South 
Mountain, and at Antietam commanded the 
Confederate left. Shortly after he crossed 
the Potomac, making a raid as far as Cham- 
bersburg, Pennsylvania. In the battle of 
Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, Gen- 
eral Stuart's command was on the extreme 
right of the Confederate line. At Chancel- 
lorsville, after "Stonewall " Jackson's death 
and the wounding of General A. P. Hill, 
General Stuart assumed command of Jack- 
son's corps, which he led in the severe con- 
test of May 3, 1863. Early in June, the 
same year, a large force of cavalry was 
gathered under Stuart, at Culpepper, Vir- 
ginia, which, advancing to join General Lee 
in his invasion of Pennsylvania, was met at 
Brandy Station, by two divisions of cavalry 
and two brigades of infantry, under General 
John I. Gregg, and driven back. During the 
movements of the Gettysburg campaign he 
rendered important services. In May, 1864, 
General Stuart succeeded, by a detour, in 
placing himself between Richmond and 
Sheridan's advancing column, and at Yellow 
Tavern was attacked in force. During the 
fierce conflict that ensued General Stuart 
was mortally wounded, and died at Rich- 
mond, May 1 1, 1864. 



FRANKLIN PIERCE, the fourteenth 
president of the United States — from 
1853 until 1857 — was born November 23, 
1804, at Hillsboro, New Hampshire. He 
came of old revolutionary stock and his 
father was a governor of the state. Mr. 
Pierce entered Bowdoin College in 1820, 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



128 



was graduated in 1824, and took up the 
study of law in the office of Judge Wood- 
bury, and later he was admitted to the bar. 
Mr. Pierce practiced his profession with 
varying successes in his native town and 
also in Concord. He was elected to the 
state legislature in 1833 and served in that 
body until 1837, the last two years of his 
term serving as speaker of the house. He 
was elected to the United States senate in 
1837, just as President Van Buren began 
his term of office. Mr. Pierce served until 
1842, and many times during Polk's term he 
declined important public offices. During 
the war with Mexico Mr. Pierce was ap- 
pointed brigadier-general, and he embarked 
with a portion of his troops at Newport, 
Rhode Island, May 27, 1847, and went with 
them to the field of battle. He served 
through the war and distinguished himself 
by his skill, bravery and excellent judg- 
ment. When he reached his home in his 
native state he was received coldly by the 
opponents of the war, but the advocates of 
the war made up for his cold reception by 
the enthusiastic welcome which they ac- 
corded him. Mr. Pierce resumed the prac- 
tice of his profession, and in the political 
strife that followed he gave his support to 
the pro- slavery wing of the Democratic 
party. The Democratic convention met in 
Baltimore, June 12, 1852, to nominate a 
candidate for the presidency, and they con- 
tinued in session four days, and in thirty- 
five ballotings no one had secured the re- 
quisite two-thirds vote. Mr. Pierce had not 
received a vote as yet, until the Virginia 
delegation brought his name forward, and 
finally on the forty-ninth ballot Mr. Pierce 
received 282 votes and all the other candi- 
dates eleven. His opponent on the Whig 
ticket was General Winfield Scott, who 
only received the electoral votes of four 



states. Mr. Pierce was inaugurated presi- 
dent of the United States March 4, 1853, 
with W. R. King as vice president, and the 
following named gentlemen were afterward 
chosen to fill the positions in the cabinet: 
William S. Marcy, James Guthrie, Jeffer- 
son Davis, James C. Dobbin, Robert Mc- 
Clelland, James Campbell and Caleb Cush- 
ing. During the administration of President 
Pierce the Missouri compromise law was 
repealed, and all the territories of the Union 
were thrown open to slavery, and the dis- 
turbances in Kansas occurred. In 1857 he 
was succeeded in the presidency by James 
Buchanan, and retired to his home in Con- 
cord, New Hampshire. He always cherished 
his principles of slavery, and at the out- 
break of the rebellion he was an adherent of 
the cause of the Confederacy. He died at 
Concord, New Hampshire, October 8, 1869. 



JAMES B. WEAVER, well known as a 
leader of the Greenback and later of the 
Populist party, was born at Dayton, Ohio, 
June 12, 1833. He received his earlier 
education in the schools of his native town, 
and entered the law department of the Ohio 
University, at Cincinnati, from which he 
graduated in 1854. Removing to the grow- 
ing state of Iowa, he became connected 
with "The Iowa Tribune," at the state 
capital, Des Moines, as one of its editors. 
He afterward practiced law and was elected 
district attorney for the second judicial dis- 
trict of Iowa, on the Republican ticket in 
1866, which office he held for a short time. 
In 1867 Mr. Weaver was appointed assessor 
of internal revenue for the first district of 
Iowa, and filled that position until some- 
time in 1873. He was elected and served 
in the forty-sixth congress. In 1880 the 
National or Greenback party in convention 
at Chicago, nominated James B. Weaver as 



124 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPH7 . 



its candidate for the presidency. By a 
union of the Democratic and National 
parties in his district, he was elected to the 
forty-ninth congress, and re-elected to the 
same office in the fall of 1886. Mr. Weaver 
was conceded to be a very fluent speaker, 
and quite active in all political work. On 
July 4, 1892, at the National convention 
of the People's party, General James B. 
Weaver was chosen as the candidate for 
president of that organization, and during 
the campaign that followed, gained a na- 
tional reputation. 



ANTHONY JOSEPH DREXEL, one 
of the leading bankers and financiers of 
the United States, was born in Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania, in 1826, and was the son of 
Francis M. Drexel, who had established 
the large banking institution of Drexel & 
Co., so well known. The latter was a native 
of Dornbirn, in the Austrian Tyrol. He 
studied languages and fine arts at Turin, 
Italy. On returning to his mountain home, 
in 1809, and finding it in the hands of the 
French, he went to Switzerland and later 
to Paris. In i8i2,aftera short visit home, 
he went to Berlin, where he studied paint- 
ing until 18 17, in which year he emigrated 
to America, and settled in Philadelphia. A 
few years later he went to Chili and Peru, 
where he executed some fine portraits of 
notable people, including General Simon 
Bolivar. After spending some time in Mex- 
ico, he returned to Philadelphia, and en- 
gaged in the banking business. In 1837 he 
founded the house of Drexel & Co. He 
died in 1837, and was succeeded by his two 
sons, Anthony J. and Francis A. His son, 
Anthony J. Drexel, Jr. , entered the bank 
when he was thirteen years of age, before he 
was through with his schooling, and after 
that the history of the banking business of 



which he was the head, was the history of his 
life. The New York house of Drexel, Mor- 
gan & Co. was established in 1850; the 
Paris house, Drexel, Harjes & Co., in 1867. 
The Drexel banking houses have supplied 
iand placed hundreds of millions of dollars 
n government, corporation, railroad and 
other loans and securities. The reputation 
of the houses has always been held on the 
highest plane. Mr. Drexel founded and 
heavily endowed the Drexel Institute, in 
Philadelphia, an institution to furnish better 
and wider avenues of employment to young 
people of both sexes. It has departments 
of arts, science, mechanical arts and domes- 
tic economy. Mr. Drexel, Jr., departed this 
life June 30, 1893. 



SAMUEL FINLEY BREESE MORSE. 
inventor of the recording telegraph in- 
strument, was born in Charlestown, Massa- 
chusetts, April 27, 1 79 1. He graduated 
from Yale College in 18 10, and took up art 
as his profession. He went to London with 
the great American painter, Washington 
Allston, and studied in the Royal Academy 
under Benjamin West. His "Dying Her- 
cules," his first effort in sculpture, took the 
gold medal in 18 13. He returned to Amer- 
ica in 1 81 5 and continued to pursue his 
profession. He was greatly interested in 
scientific studies, which he carried on in 
connection with other labors. He founded 
the National Academy of Design and was 
many years its president. He returned to 
Europe and spent three years in study 
in the art centers, Rome, Florence, Venice 
and Paris. In 1832 he returned to America 
and while on the return voyage the idea of 
a recording telegraph apparatus occurred to 
him, and he made a drawing to represent his 
conception. He was the first to occupy the 
chair of fine arts in the University of New 



COMPEXDllM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



125 



York City, and in 1835 he set up his rude 
instrument in his room in the university. 
But it was not until after many years of 
discouragement and reverses of fortune that 
lie finally was successful in placing his inven- 
tion before the public. In 1844, by aid of 
the United States government, he had con- 
structed a telegraph line fort}' miles in length 
from Washington to Baltimore. Over this 
line the test was made, and the first tele- 
graphic message was flashed May 24, 1 844, 
from the United States supreme court rooms 
to Baltimore. It read, "What hath God 
wrought!" His fame and fortune were es- 
tablished in an instant. Wealth and honors 
poured in upon him from that day. The 
nations of Europe vied with each other 
in honoring the great inventor with medals, 
titles and decorations, and the learned 
societies of Europe hastened to enroll his 
name upon their membership lists and confer 
degrees. In 1858 he was the recipient of an 
honor never accorded to an inventor before. 
The ten leading nations of Europe, at the 
suggestion of the Emporer Napoleon, ap- 
pointed representatives to an international 
congress, which convened at Paris for the 
special purpose of expressing gratitude of the 
nations, and they voted him a present of 
400,000 francs. 

Professor Morse was present at the unveil- 
ing of a bronze statue erected in his honor in 
Central Park, New York, in 1871. His last 
appearance in public was at the unveiling 
of the statue of Benjamin Franklin in New 
York in 1872, when he made the dedica- 
tory speech and unveiled the statue. He 
died April 2, 1872, in the city of New York. 



MORRISON REMICH WAITE, seventh 
chief justice of the United States, was 
born at Lyme, Connecticut, November 29, 
1816. He was a graduate from Yale Col- 



lege in 1837, in the class with William M. 
Evarts. His father was judge of the su- 
preme court of errors of the state of Con- 
necticut, and in his office young Waite 
studied law. He subsequently removed to 
Ohio, and was elected to the legislature of 
that state in 1849. He removed from 
Maumee City to Toledo and became a prom- 
inent legal light in that state. He was 
nominated as a candidate for congress re- 
peatedly but declined to run, and also de- 
clined a place on the supreme bench of the 
state. He won great distinction for his able 
handling of the Alabama claims at Geneva, 
before the arbitration tribunal in 1871, and 
was appointed chief justice of the supreme 
court of the United States in 1874 on the 
death of Judge Chase. When, in 1876, elec- 
toral commissioners were chosen to decide 
the presidential election controversy between 
Tilden and Hayes, Judge Waite refused to 
serve on that commission. 

His death occurred March 23, 1888. 



ELISHA KENT KANE was one of the 
distinguished American explorers of the 
unknown regions of the frozen north, and 
gave to the world a more accurate knowl- 
edge of the Arctic zone. Dr. Kane was 
born February 3, 1820, at Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of the 
universities of Virginia and Pennsylvania, 
and took his medical degree in 1843. He 
entered the service of the United States 
navy, and was physician to the Chinese 
embassy. Dr. Kane traveled extensively 
in the Levant, Asia and Western Africa, 
and also served in the Mexican war, in 
which he was severely wounded. His 
first Arctic expedition was under De Haven 
in the first Grinnell expedition in search 
of Sir John Franklin in 1850. He com- 
manded the second Grinnell expedition 



126 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



in 1853-55, and discovered an open polar 
sea. For this expedition he received a gold 
medal and other distinctions. He published 
a narrative of his first polar expedition in 
1853, and in 1856 published two volumes 
relating to his second polar expedition. He 
was a man of active, enterprising and cour- 
ageous spirit. His health, which was al- 
ways delicate, was impaired by the hard- 
ships of his Arctic expeditions, from which 
he never fully recovered and from which he 
died February 16, 1857, at Havana. 



ELIZABETH CADY STANTON was a 
daughter of Judge Daniel Cady and 
Margaret Livingston, and was born Novem- 
ber 12, 181 5, at Johnstown, New York. She 
was educated at the Johnstown Academy, 
inhere she studied with a class of boys, and 
was fitted for college at the age of fifteen, 
*fter which she pursued her studies at Mrs. 
Willard's Seminary, at Troy. Her atten- 
tion was called to the disabilities of her sex 
by her own educational experiences, and 
through a study of Blackstone, Story, and 
Kent. Miss Cady was married to Henry B. 
Stanton in 1840, and accompanied him to 
the world's anti-slavery convention in Lon- 
don. While there she made the acquain- 
tance of Lucretia Mott. Mrs. Stanton 
resided at Boston until 1847, when the 
family moved to Seneca Falls, New York, 
and she and Lucretia Mott signed the first 
call for a woman's rights convention. The 
meeting was held at her place of residence 
July 19-20, 1848. This was the first oc- 
casion of a formal claim of suffrage for 
women that was made. Mrs. Stanton ad- 
dressed the New York legislature, in 1854, 
on the rights of married women, and in 
i860, in advocacy of the granting of di- 
vorce for drunkenness. She also addressed 
the legislature and the constitutional con- 



vention, and maintained that during the 
revision of the constitution the state was 
resolved into its original elements, and that 
all citizens had, therefore, a right to vote 
for the members of that convention. After 
1869 Mrs. Stanton frequently addressed 
congressional committees and state consti- 
tutional conventions, and she canvassed 
Kansas, Michigan, and other states when 
the question of woman suffrage was sub- 
mitted in those states. Mrs. Stanton was 
one of the editors of the " Revolution," and 
most of the calls and resolutions for con- 
ventions have come from her pen. She 
was president of the national committee, 
also of the Woman's Loyal League, and 
of the National Association, for many years. 



DAVID DUDLEY FIELD, a great 
American jurist was born in Connecti- 
cut in 1805. He emc.ea Williams College 
when sixteen years old, and commenced the 
study of law in 1825. In 1828 he was ad- 
mitted to the bar, and went to New York, 
where he soon came into prominence be- 
fore the bar of that state. He entered upon 
the labor of reforming the practice and 
procedure, which was then based upon the 
common law practice of England, and had 
become extremely complicated, difficult and 
uncertain in its application. His first paper 
on this subject was published in 1839, and 
after eight years of continuous efforts in this 
direction, he was appointed one of a com- 
mission by New York to reform the practice 
of that state. The result was embodied in 
the two codes of procedure, civil and crimi- 
nal, the first of which was adopted almost 
entire by the state of New York, and has 
since been adopted by more than half the 
states in the Union, and became the basis 
of the new practice and procedure in Eng- 
land, contained in the Judicature act. He 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAI'Iir. 



127 



was later appointed chairman of a new com- 
mission to codify the entire body of laws. 
This great work employed many years in its 
completion, but when finished it embraced 
a civil, penal, ar.d political code, covering 
the entire field of American laws, statutory 
and common. This great body of law was 
adopted by California and Dakota territory 
in its entirety, and many other states have 
since adopted its substance. In 1867 the 
British Association for Social Science heard 
a proposition from Mr. Field to prepare an 
international code. This led to the prepara- 
tion of his " Draft Outlines of an Interna- 
tional Code," which was in fact a complete 
body of international laws, and introduced 
the principle of arbitration. Other of his 
codes of the state of New York have since 
been adopted by that state. 

In addition to his great works on law, 
Mr. Field indulged his literary tastes by fre- 
quent contributions to general literature, 
and his articles on travels, literature, and 
the political questions of the hour gave 
him rank with the best writers of his time. 
His father was the Rev. David Dudley Field, 
and his brothers were Cyrus W. Field, Rev. 
Henry Martin Field, and Justice Stephen 
J. Field of the United States supreme 
court. David Dudley Field died at New 
York, April 13, 1894. 



HENRY M. TELLER, a celebrated 
American politician, and secretary of 
the interior under President Arthur, was born 
May 23, 1830, in Allegany county, New 
York. He was of Hollandish ancestry and 
received an excellent education, after which 
he took up the study of law and was ad- 
mitted to the bar in the state of New York. 
Mr. Teller removed to Illinois in January, 
1858, and practiced for three years in that 
state. From thence he moved to Colorado 



in 1 86 1 and located at Central City, which 
was then one of the principal mining towns 
in the state. His exceptional abilities as 
a lawyer soon brought him into prominence 
and gained for him a numerous and profit- 
able clientage. In politics he affiliated with 
the Republican party, but declined to become 
a candidate for office until the admission of 
Colorado into the Union as a state, when 
he was elected to the United States senate. 
Mr. Teller drew the term ending March 
4, 1877, but was re-elected December 11, 
1876, and served until April 17, 1882, when 
he was appointed by President Arthur as 
secretary of the interior. He accepted a 
cabinet position with reluctance, and on 
March 3, 1885, he retired from the cabinet, 
having been elected to the senate a short 
time before to succeed Nathaniel P. Hill. 
Mr. Teller took his seat on March 4, 1885, 
in the senate, to which he was afterward 
re-elected. He served as chairman on the 
committee of pensions, patents, mines and 
mining, and was also a member of commit- 
tees on claims, railroads, privileges and 
elections and public lands. Mr. Teller came 
to be recognized as one of the ablest advo- 
cates of the silver cause. He was one of the 
delegates to the Republican National conven- 
tion at St. Louis in 1896, in which he took 
an active part and tried to have a silver 
plank inserted in the platform of the party, 
Failing in this he felt impelled to bolt the 
convention, which he did and joined forces 
with the great silver movement in the cam- 
paign which followed, being recognized in 
that campaign as one of the most able and 
eminent advocates of "silver" in America. 



JOHN ERICSSON, an eminent inven- 
tor and machinist, who won fame in 
America, was born in Sweden, July 31,1 803. 
In early childhood he evinced a decided in- 



128 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



clination to mechanical pursuits, and at the 
age of eleven he was appointed to a cadet- 
ship in the engineer corps, and at the age of 
seventeen was promoted to a lieutenancy. 
In 1826 he introduced a "flame engine," 
which he had invented, and offered it to 
English capitalists, but it was found that it 
could be operated only by the use of wood 
for fuel. Shortly after this he resigned his 
commission in the army of Sweden, and de- 
voted himself to mechanical pursuits. He 
discovered and introduced the principle of 
artificial draughts in steam boilers, and re- 
ceived a prize of two thousand five hundred 
dollars for his locomotive, the "Novelty," 
which attained a great speed, for that day. 
The artificial draught effected a great saving 
in fuel and made unnecessary the huge 
smoke-stacks formerly used, and the princi- 
ple is still applied, in modified form, in boil- 
ers. He also invented a steam fire-engine, 
and later a hot-air engine, which he at- 
tempted to apply in the operation of his 
ship, "Ericsson," but as it did not give the 
speed required, he abandoned it, but after- 
wards applied it to machinery for pumping, 
hoisting, etc. 

Ericsson was first to apply the screw 
propeller to navigation. The English peo- 
ple not receiving this new departure readily, 
Ericsson came to America in 1839, and 
built the United States steamer, "Prince- 
ton," in which the screw-propeller was util- 
ized, the first steamer ever built in which 
the propeller was under water, out of range 
of the enemy's shots. The achievement 
which gave him greatest renown, however, 
was the ironclad vessel, the "Monitor," an 
entirely new type of vessel, which, in March, 
1862, attacked the Confederate monster 
ironclad ram, "Virginia," and after a fierce 
struggle, compelled her to withdraw from 
Hampton Roads for repairs. After the war 



one of his most noted inventions was his 
vessel, " Destroyer," with a submarine gun, 
which carried a projectile torpedo. In 1886 
the king of Spain conferred on him the 
grand cross of the Order of Naval Merit. 
He died in March, 1889, and his body was 
transferred, with naval honors, to the country 
of his birth. 

JAMES BUCHANAN, the fifteenth presi- 
dent of the United States, was a native 
of Pennsylvania, and was born in Franklin 
county, April 23, 1 791 . He was of Irish 
ancestry, his father having come to this 
country in 1783, in quite humble circum- 
stances, and settled in the western part of 
the Keystone state. 

James Buchanan remained in his se- 
cluded home for eight years, enjoying but 
few social or intellectual advantages. His 
parents were industrious and frugal, and 
prospered, and, in 1799, the family removed 
to Mercersbur Pennsylvania, where he 
was placed in school. His progress was 
rapid, and in 1801 he entered Dickinson 
College, at Carlisle, where he took his place 
among the best scholars in the institution. 
In 1809 he graduated with the highest hon- 
ors in his class. He was then eighteen, tall, 
graceful and in vigorous health. He com- 
menced the study of law at Lancaster, and 
was admitted to the bar in 1812. He rose 
very rapidly in his profession and took a 
stand with the ablest of his fellow lawyers. 
When but twenty-six years old he success- 
fully defended, unaided by counsel, one of 
the judges of the state who was before the 
bar of the state senate under articles of im- 
peachment. 

During the war of 18 12-15, Mr. Buch- 
anan sustained the government with all his 
power, eloquently urging the vigorous prose- 
cution of the war, and enlisted as a private 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



129 



volunteer to assist in repelling the British 
who had sacked and burned the public 
buildings of Washington and threatened 
Baltimore. At that time Buchanan was 
a Federalist, but the opposition of that 
party to the war with Great Britain and the 
alien and sedition laws of John Adams, 
brought that party into disrepute, and drove 
many, among them Buchanan, into the Re- 
publican, or anti-Federalist ranks. He was 
elected to congress in 1828. In 1831 he 
was sent as minister to Russia, and upon 
his return to this country, in 1833, was ele- 
vated to the United States senate, and re- 
mained in that position for twelve years. 
Upon the accession of President Polk to 
office he made Mr. Buchanan secretary of 
state. Four years later he retired to pri- 
vate life, and in 1853 he was honored with 
the mission to England. In 1856 the na- 
tional Democratic convention nominated 
him for the presidency and he was elected. 
It was during his administration that the 
rising tide of the secession movement over- 
took the country- Mr. Buchanan declared 
that the national constitution gave him no 
power to do anything against the movement 
to break up the Union. After his succession 
by Abraham Lincoln in i860, Mr. Buchanan 
retired to his home at Wheatland, Pennsyl- 
vania, where he died June 1, 1868. 



JOHN HARVARD, the founder of the 
Harvard University, was born in Eng- 
land about the year 1608. He received his 
education at Emanuel College, Cambridge, 
and came to America in 1637, settling in 
Massachusetts. He was a non-conformist 
minister, and a tract of land was set aside 
for him in Charlestown, near Boston. He 
was at once appointed one of a committee to 
formulate a body of laws for the colony. 
One year before his arrival in the colony 



the general court had voted the sum of four 
hundred pounds toward the establishment of 
a school or college, half of which was to be 
paid the next year In 1637 preliminary 
plans were made for starting the school. In 
1638 John Harvard, who had shown great 
interest in the new institution of learning 
proposed, died, leaving his entire property, 
about twice the sum originally voted, to the 
school, together with three hundred volumes 
as a nucleus for a library. The institution 
was then given the name of Harvard, and 
established at Newton (now Cambridge), 
Massachusetts. It grew to be one of the two 
principal seats of learning in the new world, 
and has maintained its reputation since. It 
now consists of twenty-two separate build- 
ings, and its curriculum embraces over one 
hundred and seventy elective courses, and it 
ranks among the great universities of the 
world. 

ROGER BROOKE TANEY, a noted 
jurist and chief justice of the United 
States supreme court, was born in Calvert 
county, Maryland, March 17, 1777. He 
graduated fiom Dickinson College at the 
age of eighteen, took up the study of law, 
and was admitted to the bar in 1799. He 
was chosen to the legislature from his county, 
and in 1801 removed to Frederick, Mary- 
land. He became United States senator 
from Maryland in 18 16, and took up his 
permanent residence in Baltimore a few 
years later. In 1824 he became an ardent 
admirer and supporter of Andrew Jackson, 
and upon Jackson's election to the presi- 
dency, was appointed attorney general of 
the United States. Two years later he was 
appointed secretary of the treasury, and 
after serving in that capacity for nearly one 
year, the senate refused to confirm the ap- 
pointment. In 1835, upon the death of 



130 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRATHT. 



Chief-justice Marsha!!, he was appointed to 
that place, and a political change having 
occurred in the make up of the senate, he 
was confirmed in 1836. He presided at 
his first session in January of the following 
year. 

The case which suggests itself first to 
the average reader in connection with this 
jurist is the celebrated " Dred Scott " case, 
which came before the supreme court for 
decision in 1856. In his opinion, delivered 
on behalf of a majority of the court, one 
remarkable statement occurs as a result of 
an exhaustive survey of the historical 
grounds, to the effect that " for more than 
a century prior to the adoption of the con- 
stitution they (Africans) had been regarded 
so far inferior that they had no rights which 
a white man was bound to respect." Judge 
Taney retained the office of chief justice 
until his death, in 1864. 



JOHN LOTHROP MOTLEY.— This gen- 
tleman had a world-wide reputation as 
an historian, which placed him in the front 
rank of the great men of America. He was 
born April 15, 18 14, at Dorchester, Massa- 
chusetts, was given a thorough preparatory 
education and then attended Harvard, from 
which he was graduated in 1831. He also 
studied at Gottingen and Berlin, read law 
and in 1836 was admitted to the bar. In 
1 84 1 he was appointed secretary of the 
legation at St. Petersburg, and in 1866-67 
served as United States minister to Austria, 
serving in the same capacity during 1869 
and 1870 to England. In 1856, after long 
and exhaustive research and preparation, he 
published in London "The Rise of the 
Dutch Republic." It embraced three vol- 
umes and immediately attracted great at- 
tention throughout Europe and America as 
a work of unusual merit. From 1S61 to 



1868 he produced "The History of the 
United Netherlands," in four volumes. 
Other works followed, with equal success, 
and his position as one of the foremost his- 
torians and writers of his day was firmly 
established. His death occured May 29, 
1877- 

ELIAS HOWE, the inventor of the sew- 
ing machine, well deserves to be classed 
among the great and noted men of Amer- 
ica. He was the son of a miller and farmer 
and was born at Spencer, Massachusetts, 
July 9, 1 8 19. In 1835 he went to Lowell 
and worked there, and later at Boston, in the 
machine shops. His first sewing machine 
was completed in 1845, and he patented it in 
1846, laboring with the greatest persistency 
in spite of poverty and hardships, working 
for a time as an engine driver on a railroad 
at pauper wages and with broken health. 
He then spent two years of unsuccessful ex- 
ertion in England, striving in vain to bring 
his invention into public notice and use. 
He returned to the United States in almost 
hopeless poverty, to find that his patent 
had been violated. At last, however, he 
found friends who assisted him financially, 
and after years of litigation he made good 
his claims in the courts in 1854. His inven- 
tion afterward brought him a large fortune. 
During the Civil war he volunteered as a 
private in the Seventeenth Connecticut Vol- 
unteers, and served for some time. During 
his life time he received the cross of the 
Legion of Honor and many other medals. 
His death occurred October 3, 1867, at 
Brooklyn, New York. 



PHILLIPS BROOKS, celebrated as an 
eloquent preacher and able pulpit ora- 
tor, was born in Boston on the 13th day of 
December, 1835. He received excellent 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



131 



educational advantages, and graduated at 
Harvard in 1855. Early in life he decided 
upon the ministry as his life work and 
studied theology in the Episcopal Theolog- 
ical Seminary, at Alexandria, Virginia. In 
1859 he was ordained and the same year 
became pastor of the Church of the Advent, 
in Philadelphia. Three years later he as- 
sumed the pastorate of the Church of the 
Holy Trinity, where he remained until 1870. 
At the expiration of that time he accepted 
the pastoral charge of Trinity Church in 
Boston, where his eloquence and ability at- 
tracted much attention and built up a pow- 
erful church organization. Dr. Brooks also 
devoted considerable time to lecturing and 
literary work and attained prominence in 
these lines. 

WILLIAM B. ALLISON, a statesman 
of national reputation and one of the 
leaders of the Republican party, was born 
March 2, 1829, at Perry, Ohio. He grew 
up on his father's farm, which he assisted 
in cultivating, and attended the district 
school. When sixteen years old he went 
to the academy at Wooster, and subse- 
quently spent a year at the Allegheny Col- 
lege, at Meadville, Pennsylvania. He next 
taught school and spent another year at the 
Western Reserve College, at Hudson, Ohio. 
Mr. Allison then took up the study of law 
at Wooster, where he was admitted to the 
barini85i, and soon obtained a position 
as deputy county clerk. His political lean- 
ings were toward the old line Whigs, who 
afterward laid the foundation of the Repub- 
lican party. He was a delegate to the state 
convention in 1856, in the campaign of 
which he supported Fremont for president. 
Mr Allison removed to Dubuque, Iowa, 
in the following year. He rapidly rose to 
prominence at the bar and in politics. In 



i860 he was chosen as a delegate to the 
Republican convention held in Chicago, of 
which he was elected one of the secretaries. 
At the outbreak of the civil war he was ap- 
pointed on the staff of the governor. His 
congressional career opened in 1862, when 
he was elected to the thirty-eighth congress; 
he was re-elected three times, serving from 
March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1871. Hewas 
a member of the ways and means committee 
a good part of his term. His career in the 
United States senate began in 1873, and he 
rapidly rose to eminence in national affairs, 
his service of a quarter of a century in that 
body being marked by close fealty to the 
Republican party. He twice declined the 
portfolio of the treasury tendered him by 
Garfield and Harrison, and his name was 
prominently mentioned for the presidency 
at several national Republican conventions. 



M A * 



ARY ASHTON LIVERMORE, lec- 
rer and writer, was born in Boston, 
December 19, 1821. She was the daughter 
of Timothy Rice, and married D. P. Liver- 
more, a preacher of the Universalist church. 
She contributed able articles to many of the 
most noted periodicals of this country and 
England. During the Civil war she labored 
zealously and with success on behalf of the 
sanitary commission which played so impor- 
tant a part during that great struggle. She 
became editor of the " Woman's Journal," 
published at Boston in 1870. 

She held a prominent place as a public 
speaker and writer on woman's suffrage, 
temperance, social and religious questions, 
and her influence was great in every cause 
she advocated. 



JOHN B. GOUGH. a noted temperance 
lecturer, who won his fame in America, 
was born in the village of Sandgate, Kent, 



132 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPIir 



England, August 22, 1817. He came to 
the United States at the age of twelve. 
He followed the trade of bookbinder, and 
lived in great poverty on account of the 
liquor habit. In 1843, however, he re- 
formed, and began his career as a temper- 
ance lecturer. He worked zealously in the 
cause of temperance, and his lectures and 
published articles revealed great earnestness. 
He formed temperance societies throughout 
the entire country, and labored with great 
success. He visited England in the same 
cause about the year 1853 and again in 
1878. He also lectured upon many other 
topics, in which he attained a wide reputa- 
tion. His death occurred February 18, 
1886. 

THOMAS BUCHANAN READ, author, 
sculptor and painter, was born in Ches- 
ter county, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1822. 
He early evinced a taste for art, and began 
the study of sculpture in Cincinnati. Later 
he found painting more to his liking. He 
went to New York, where he followed this 
profession, and later to Boston. In 1846 
he located in Philadelphia. He visited 
Italy in 1850, and studied at Florence, 
where he resided almost continuously for 
twenty-two years. He returned to America 
in 1872, and died in New York May 11 of 
the same year. 

He was the author of many heroic 
poems, but the one giving him the most re- 
nown is his famous "Sheridan's Ride," of 
which he has also left a representation in 
painting. 

EUGENE V. DEBS, the former famous 
president of the American Railway 
Union, and great labor leader, was born in 
the city of Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1855. 
He received his education in the public 



schools of that place and at the age of 
sixteen years began work as a painter in 
the Vandalia shops. After this, for some 
three years, he was employed as a loco- 
motive fireman on the same road. His 
first appearance in public life was in his 
canvass for the election to the office of city 
clerk of Terre Haute. In this capacity he 
served two terms, and when twenty six 
years of age was elected a member of the 
legislature of the state of Indiana. While 
a member of that body he secured the 
passage of several bills in the interest of 
organized labor, of which he was always 
a faithful champion. Mr. Debs' speech 
nominating Daniel Voorhees for the United 
States senate gave him a wide reputation for 
orator}'. On the expiration of his term in 
the legislature, he was elected grand secre- 
tary and treasurer of the Brotherhood of 
Locomotive Fireman and filled that office 
for fourteen successive years. He was 
always an earnest advocate of confederation 
of railroad men and it was mainly through 
his efforts that the United Order of Railway 
Employes, composed of the Brotherhood 
of Railway Trainmen and Conductors, 
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and 
the Switchmen's Mutual Aid Association was 
formed, and he became a member of its 
supreme council. The order was dissolved 
by disagreement between two of its leading 
orders, and then Mr. Debs conceived the 
idea of the American Railway Union. He 
worked on the details and the union came 
into existence in Chicago, June 20, 1 893. For 
a time it prospered and became one of the 
largest bodies of railway men in the world. 
It won in a contest with the Great Northern 
Railway. In the strike made by the union 
in sympathy with the Pullman employes 
inaugurated in Chicago June 25, 1S94, and 
the consequent rioting, the Railway Union 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



\m 



lost much prestige and Mr. Debs, in company 
with others of the officers, being held as in con- 
tempt of the United States courts, he suffered 
a sentence of six months in jail at Wood- 
stock, McHenry county, Illinois. In 1897 
Mr. Debs, on the demise of the American 
Railway Union, organized the Social 
Democracy, an institution founded on the 
best lines of the communistic idea, which 
was to provide homes and employment for 
its members. 



JOHN G. CARLISLE, famous as a law- 
yer, congressman, senator and cabinet 
officer, was born in Campbell (now Kenton) 
county, Kentucky, September 5, 1835, on a 
farm. He received the usual education of 
the time and began at an early age to teach 
school and, at the same time, the study of 
law. Soon opportunity offered and he 
entered an office in Covington, Kentucky, 
and was admitted to practice at the bar in 
1858. Politics attracted his attention and 
in 1859 he was elected to the house of rep- 
resentatives in the legislature of his native 
state. On the outbreak of the war in 1861, 
he embraced the cause of the Union and was 
largely instrumental in preserving Kentucky 
to the federal cause. He resumed his legal 
practice for a time and declined a nomina- 
tion as presidential elector in 1864. In 
1866 and again in 1869 Mr. Carlisle was 
elected to the senate of Kentucky. He re- 
signed this position in 1871 and was chosen 
lieutenant governor of the state, which office 
he held until 1875. He was one of the 
presidential electors-at-large for Ken- 
tucky in 1876. He first entered congress in 
1877, and soon became a prominent leader 
on the Democratic side of the house of rep- 
resentatives, and continued a member of 
that body through the forty-sixth, forty- 
seventh, forty-eighth and forty-ninth con- 



gresses, and was speaker of the house during 
the two latter. He was elected to the 
United States senate to succeed Senator 
Blackburn, and remained a member of that 
branch of congress until March, 1893, when 
he was appointed secretary of the treasury. 
He performed the duties of that high office 
until March 4, 1897, throughout the en- 
tire second administration of President 
Cleveland. His ability and many years of 
public service gave him a national reputa- 
tion. 

FRANCES E. WILLARD, for many years 
president of the -Woman's Christian 
Temperance Union, and a noted American 
lecturer and writer, was born in Rochester, 
New York, September 28, 1839. Graduating 
from the Northwestern Female College at the 
age of nineteen she began teaching and met 
with great success in many cities of the west. 
She was made directress of Genesee Wes- 
leyan Seminary at Lima, Ohio, in 1867, and 
four years later was elected president of the 
Evanston College for young ladies, a branch 
of the Northwestern University. 

During the two years succeeding 1869 
she traveled extensively in Europe and the 
east, visiting Egypt and Palestine, and 
gathering materials for a valuable course of 
lectures, which she delivered at Chicago on 
her return. She became very popular, and 
won great influence in the temperance 
cause. Her work as president of the Wo- 
man's Christian Temperance Union greatly 
strengthened that society, and she made 
frequent trips to Europe in the interest of 
that cause. 

RICHARD OLNEY.— Among the promi- 
nent men who were members of the 
cabinet of President Cleveland in his second 
administration, the gentleman whose name 



134 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



heads this sketch held a leading place, oc- 
cupying the positions of attorney general 
and secretary of state. 

Mr. Olney came from one of the oldest 
and most honored New England families; 
the first of his ancestors to come from Eng- 
land settled in Massachusetts in 1635. This 
was Thomas Olney. He was a friend and 
co-religionist of Roger Williams, and when 
the latter moved to what is now Rhode 
I'sland, went with him and became one of 
the founders of Providence Plantations. 

Richard Olney was born in Oxford, 
Massachusetts, in 1835, an d received the 
elements of his earlier education in the com- 
mon schools which New England is so proud 
of. He entered Brown University, from 
which he graduated in 1856, and passed the 
Harvard law school two years later. He 
began the practice of his profession with 
Judge B. F. Thomas, a prominent man of 
that locality. For years Richard Olney was 
regarded as one of the ablest and most 
learned lawyers in Massachusetts. Twice 
he was offered a place on the bench of the 
supreme court of the state, but both times 
he declined. He was always a Democrat 
in his political tenets, and for many years 
was a trusted counsellor of members of that 
party. In 1874 Mr. Olney was elected a 
member of the legislature. In 1876, during 
the heated presidential campaign, to 
strengthen the cause of Mr. Tilden in the 
New England states, it was intimated that 
in the event of that gentleman's election to 
the presidency, Mr. Olney would be attor- 
sey general. 

When Grover Cleveland was elected presi- 
dent of the United States, on his inaugura- 
tion in March, 1893, he tendered the posi- 
tion of attorney general to Richard Olney. 
This was accepted, and that gentleman ful- 
filled the duties of the office until the death 



of Walter Q. Gresha'm, in May, 1895, made 
vacant the position of secretary of state. 
This post was filled by the appointment of 
Mr. Olney. While occupying the later 
office, Mr. Olney brought himself into inter- 
national prominence by some very able state 
papers. 

JOHN JAY KNOX, for many years comp- 
troller of the currency, and an eminent 
financier, was born in Knoxboro, Oneida 
county, New York, May 19, 1828. He re- 
ceived a good education and graduated at 
Hamilton College in 1849. For about 
thirteen years he was engaged as a private 
banker, or in a position in a bank, where 
he laid the foundation of his knowledge of 
the laws of finance. In 1862, Salmon P. 
Chase, then secretary of the treasury, ap- 
pointed him to an office in that department 
of the government, and later he had charge 
of the mint coinage correspondence. In 1 867 
Mr. Knox was made deputy comptroller 
of the currency, and in that capacity, in 
1870, he made two reports on the mint 
service, with a codification of the mint and 
coinage laws of the United States, and 
suggesting many important amendments 
These reports were ordered printed by reso- 
lution of congress. The bill which he pre- 
pared, with some slight changes, was sub- 
sequently passed, and has been known in 
history as the " Coinage Act of 1873." 

In 1872 Mr. Knox wns appointed comp- 
troller of the currency, and held that re- 
sponsible position until 1884, when he re- 
signed. He then accepted the position of 
president of the National Bank of the Re- 
public, of New York City, which institution 
he served for many years. He was the 
author of " United States Notes," published 
in 1884. In the reports spoken of above, a 
history of the two United States banks is 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



135 



given, together with that of the state and 
national banking system, and much valuable 
statistical matter relating to kindred sub- 
jects. 

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE.— In the 
opinion of many critics Hawthorne is 
pronounced the foremost American novelist, 
and in his peculiar vein of romance is said 
to be without a peer. His reputation is 
world-wide, and his ability as a writer is 
recognized abroad as well as at home. 
He was born July 4, 1804, at Salem, Massa- 
chusetts. On account of feeble health he 
spent some years of his boyhood on a farm 
near Raymond, Maine. He laid the foun- 
dation of a liberal education in his youth, 
and entered Bowdoin College, from which 
he graduated in 1825 in the same class with 
H W Longfellow and John S. C. Abbott. 
He then returned to Salem, where he gave 
his attention to literature, publishing several 
tales and other articles in various periodi- 
cals. His first venture in the field of ro- 
mance, " Fanshaw," proved a failure. In 
1836 he removed to Boston, and became 
editor of the "American Magazine," which 
soon passed out of existence. In 1837 he 
published "Twice Told Tales," which were 
chiefly made up of his former contributions 
to magazines. In 1838-41 he held a posi- 
tion in the Boston custom house, but later 
took part in the "Brook farm experiment," 
a socialistic idea after the plan of Fourier. 
In 1843 he was married and took up his 
residence at the old parsonage at Concord, 
Massachusetts, which he immortalized in 
his next work, " Mosses From an Old 
Manse," published in 1846. From the lat- 
ter date until 1850 he was surveyor of the 
port of Salem, and while thus employed 
wrote one of his strongest works, "The 
Scarlet Letter." For the succeeding two 



years Lenox, Massachusetts, was his home, 
and the " House of the Seven Gables" was 
produced there, as well as the " Blithedale 
Romance." In 1852 he published a "Life 
of Franklin Pierce," a college friend whom 
he warmly regarded. In 1853 he was ap- 
pointed United States consul to Liverpool, 
England, where he remained some years, 
after which he spent some time in Italy. 
On returning to his native land he took up 
his residence at Concord, Massachusetts. 
While taking a trip for his health with ex- 
President Pierce, he died at Plymouth, New 
Hampshire, May 19, 1864. In addition to 
the works mentioned above Mr. Hawthorne 
gave to the world the following books: 
" True Stories from History," "The Won- 
der Book," " The Snow Image," "Tangle- 
wood Tales," "The Marble Faun," and 
" Our Old Home. " After his death appeared 
a series of "Notebooks," edited by his wife, 
Sophia P. Hawthorne; " Septimius Felton," 
edited by his daughter, Una, and "Dr. 
Grimshaw's Secret," put into shape by his 
talented son, Julian. He left an unfinished 
work called " Dolliver Romance," which has 
been published just as he left it. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN, sixteenth presi- 
dent of the United States, was born 
February 12, 1809, in Larue county (Har- 
din county), Kentucky, in a log-cabin near 
Hudgensville. When he was eight years 
old he removed with his parents to Indiana, 
near the Ohio river, and a year later his 
mother died. His father then married Mrs. 
Elizabeth (Bush) Johnston, of Elizabeth- 
town, Kentucky, who proved a kind of fos- 
ter-mother to Abraham, and encouraged 
him to study. He worked as a farm hand 
and as a clerk in a store at Gentryville, and 
was noted for his athletic feats and strength. 
fondness for debate, a fund of humorous 



136 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



anecdote, as well as the composition of rude 
verses. He made a trip at the age of nine- 
teen to New Orleans on a flat-boat, and set- 
tled in Illinois in 1830. He assisted his 
father to build a log house and clear a farm 
on the Sangamon river near Decatur, Illinois, 
and split the rails with which to fence it. In 
1851 he was employed in the building of a 
flat-boat on the Sangamon, and to run it to 
New Orleans. The voyage gave him anew 
insight into the horrors of slavery in the 
south. On his return he settled at New 
Salem and engaged, first as a clerk in a store, 
then as grocer, surveyor and postmaster, and 
he piloted the first steamboat that as- 
cended the Sangamon. He participated in 
the Black Hawk war as captain of volun- 
teers, and after his return he studied law, 
interested himself in politics, and became 
prominent locally as a public speaker. He 
was elected to the legislature in 1834 as a 
" Clay Whig, " and began at once to dis- 
play a command of language and forcible 
rhetoric that made him a match for his 
more cultured opponents. He was ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1837, and began prac- 
tice at Springfield. He married a lady of a 
prominent Kentucky family in 1842. He 
was active in the presidential campaigns of 
1840 and 1844 and was an elector on the 
Harrison and Clay tickets, and was elected 
to congress in 1846, over Peter Cartwright. 
He voted for the Wilmot proviso and the 
abolition of slavery in the District of Colum- 
bia, and opposed the war with Mexico, but 
gained little prominence during his two 
years' service. He then returned to Spring- 
field and devoted his attention to law, tak- 
ing little interest in politics, until the repeal 
of the Missouri compromise and the passage 
of the Kansas-Nebraska bill in 1854. This 
awakened his interest in politics again and 
he attacked the champion of that measure, 



Stephen A. Douglas, in a speech at Spring- 
field that made him famous, and is said 
by those who heard it to be the greatest 
speech of his life. Lincoln was selected as 
candidate for the United States senate, but 
was defeated by Trumbull. Upon the pas- 
sage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill the Whig 
party suddenly went to pieces, and the Re- 
publican party gathered head. At the 
Bloomington Republican convention in 1856 
Lincoln made an effective address in which 
he first took a position antagonistic to the ex- 
istence of slavery. He was a Fremont elector 
and received a strong support for nomina- 
tion as vice-president in the Philadelphia 
convention. In 1858 he was the unanimous 
choice of the Republicans for the United 
States senate, and the great campaign of de- 
bate which followed resulted in the election 
of Douglas, but established Lincoln's repu- 
tation as the leading exponent of Republican 
doctrines. He began to be mentioned in 
Illinois as candidate for the presidency, and 
a course of addresses in the eastern states 
attracted favorable attention. When the 
national convention met at Chicago, his 
rivals, Chase, Seward, Bates and others, 
were compelled to retire before the western 
giant, and he was nominated, with Hannibal 
Hamlin as his running mate. The Demo- 
cratic party had now been disrupted, and 
Lincoln's election assured. He carried 
practically every northern state, and the 
secession of South Carolina, followed by a 
number of the gulf states, took place before 
his inauguration. Lincoln is the only presi- 
dent who was ever compelled to reach 
Washington in a secret manner. He es- 
caped assassination by avoiding Baltimore, 
and was quietly inaugurated March 4, 1861. 
His inaugural address was firm but con- 
ciliatory, and he said to the secessionists: 
" You have no oath registered in heaven 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



137 



to destroy the government, while I have the 
most solemn one to preserve, protect and 
defend it.' He made up his cabinet chiefly 
of those political rivals in his own party — 
Seward, Chase, Cameron, Bates — and se- 
cured the co-operation of the Douglas Dem- 
ocrats. His great deeds, amidst the heat 
and turmoil of war, were: His call for 
seventy-five thousand volunteers, and the 
blockading of southern ports; calling of con- 
gress in extra session, July 14, 1861, and 
obtaining four hundred thousand men and 
four hundred million dollars for the prosecu- 
tion of the war; appointing Stanton secre- 
tary of war; issuing the emancipation proc- 
lamation; calling three hundred thou- 
sand volunteers; address at Gettysburg 
cemetery; commissioned Grant as lieuten- 
ant-general and commander-in-chief of the 
armies of the United States; his second 
inaugural address; his visit to the army be- 
fore Richmond, and his entry into Rich- 
mond the day after its surrender. 

Abraham Lincoln was shot by John 
Wi'kes Booth in a box in Ford's theater 
at Washington the night of April 14, 1865, 
and expired the following morning. His 
body was buried at Oak Ridge cemetery, 
Springfield, Illinois, and a monument com- 
memorating his great work marks his resting 
place. 

STEPHEN GIRARD, the celebrated 
philanthropist, was born in Bordeaux, 
France, May 24, 1750. He became a sailor 
engaged in the American coast trade, and 
also made frequent trips to the West Indies. 
During the Revolutionary war he was a 
grocer and liquor seller in Philadelphia. 
He married in that city, and afterward 
separated from his wife. After the war he 
again engaged in the coast and West India 
trade, and his fortune began to accumulate 



from receiving goods from West Indian 
planters during the insurrection in Hayti, 
little of which was ever called for again. 
He became a private banker in Philadelphia 
in 1812, and afterward was a director in the 
United States Bank. He made much money 
by leasing property in the city in times of 
depression, and upon the revival of industry 
sub-leasing at enormous profit. He became 
the wealthiest citizen of the United States 
of his time. 

He was eccentric, ungracious, and a 
freethinker. He had few, if any, friends in 
his lifetime. However, he was most chari- 
tably disposed, and gave to charitable in- 
stitutions and schools with a liberal hand. 
He did more than any one else to relieve 
the suffering and deprivations during the 
great yellow fever scourge in Philadelphia, 
devoting his personal attention to the sick. 
He endowed and made a free institution, 
the famous Will's Eye and Ear Infirmary 
of Philadelphia — one of the largest institu- 
tions of its kind in the world. At his death 
practically all his immense wealth was be- 
queathed to charitable institutions, more 
than two millions of dollars going to the 
founding of Girard College, which was to 
be devoted to the education and training of 
boys between the ages of six and ten years. 
Large donations were also made to institu- 
tions in Philadelphia and New Orleans. 
The principal building of Girard College is 
the most magnificent example of Greek 
architecture in America. Girard died De- 
cember 26, 1831. 



LOUIS J. R. AGASSIZ, the eminent nat- 
uralist and geologist, was born in the 
parish of Motier, near Lake Neuchatel, Swit- 
zerland, May 28, 1807, but attained his 
greatest fame after becoming an American 
citizen. He studied the medical sciences at 



188 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



Zurich, Heidelberg and Munich. His first 
work was a Latin description of the fishes 
which Martius and Spix brought from Brazil. 
This was published in 1 829-3 ' • He devoted 
much time to the study of fossil fishes, and 
in 1832 was appointed professor of natural 
history at Neuchatel. He greatly increased 
his reputation by a great work in French, 
entitled " Researches on Fossil Fishes," in 
1832-42, in which he made many important 
improvements in the classification of fishes. 
Having passed many summers among the 
Alps in researches on glaciers, he propounded 
some new and interesting ideas on geology, 
and the agency of glaciers in his "Studies 
by the Glaciers." This was published in 
1840. This latter work, with his " System 
of the Glaciers," published in 1847, are 
among his principal works. 

In 1846, Professor Agassiz crossed the 
ocean on a scientific excursion to the United 
States, and soon determined to remain here. 
He accepted, about the beginning of 1848, 
the chair of zoology and geology at Harvard. 
He explored the natural history of the 
United States at different times and gave an 
impulse to the study of nature in this 
country. In 1865 he conducted an expedi- 
tion to Brazil, and explored the lower Ama- 
zon and its tributaries. In 1868 he was 
made non-resident professor of natural his- 
tory at Cornell University. In December, 
1 87 1, he accompanied the Hassler expedi- 
tion, under Professor Pierce, to the South 
Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He died at 
Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 14, 

1873- 

Among other of the important works of 
Professor Agassiz may be mentioned the fol- 
lowing: "Outlines of Comparative Physi- 
ology," "Journey to Brazil," and "Contri- 
butions to the Natural History of the United 
States." It is said of Professor Agassiz, 



that, perhaps, with the exception of Hugh 
Miller, no one had so popularized science in 
his day, or trained so many young natural- 
ists. Many of the theories held by Agassiz 
are not supported by many of the natural- 
ists of these later days, but upon many of 
the speculations into the origin of species and 
in physics he has left the marks of his own 
strongly marked individuality. 



WILLIAM WINDOM.— As a prominent 
and leading lawyer of the great north- 
west, as a member of both houses of con- 
gress, and as the secretary of the treasury, 
the gentleman whose name heads this sketch 
won for himself a prominent position in the 
history of our country. 

Mr. Windom was a native of Ohio, 
born in Belmont county, May 10, 1827. 
He received a good elementary education in 
the schools of his native state, and took up 
the study of law. He was admitted to the 
bar, and entered upon the practice of his 
profession in Ohio, where he remained until 
1855. In the latter year he made up his 
mind to move further west, and accordingly 
went to Minnesota, and opening an office, 
became identified with the interests of that 
state, and the northwest generally. In 
1858 he took his place in the Minnesota 
delegation in the national house of repre- 
sentatives, at Washington, and continued 
to represent his constituency in that body 
for ten- years. In 1871 Mr. Windom was 
elected United States senator from Min- 
nesota, and was re-elected to the same office 
after fulfilling the duties of the position for 
a full term, in 1876. On the inauguration 
of President Garfield, in March, 1881, Mr. 
Windom became secretary of the treasury 
in his cabinet. He resigned this office Oc- 
tober 27, 1 88 1, and was elected senator 
from the North Star state to fill the va- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



189 



cancy caused by the resignation of A. J. 
Edgerton. Mr. Windom served in that 
chamber until March, 1883. 

William Windom died in New York 
City January 29, 1891. 



DON M. DICKINSON, an American 
politician and lawyer, was born in 
Port Ontario, New York, January 17, 1846. 
He removed with his parents to Michigan 
when he was but two years old. He was 
educated in the public schools of Detroit 
and at the University of Michigan at Ann 
Arbor, and was admitted to the bar at the 
age of twenty-one. In 1872 he was made 
secretary of the Democratic state central 
committee of Michigan, and his able man- 
agement of the campaign gave him a prom- 
inent place in the councils of his party. In 
1876, during the Tilden campaign, he acted 
as chairman of the state central committee. 
He was afterward chosen to represent his 
state in the Democratic national committee, 
and in 1886 he was appointed postmaster- 
general by President Cleveland. After the 
expiration of his term of office he returned 
to Detroit and resumed the practice of law. 
In the presidential campaign of 1896, Mr. 
Dickinson adhered to the "gold wing" of 
the Democracy, and his influence was felt 
in the national canvass, and especially in 
his own state. 



JOHN JACOB ASTOR, the founder of 
<J the Astor family and fortunes, while not 
a native of this country, was one of the 
most noted men of his time, and as all his 
wealth and fame were acquired here, he 
may well be classed among America's great 
men. He was born near Heidelberg, Ger- 
many, July 17, 1763, and when twenty 
years old emigrated to the United States. 
Even at that age he exhibited remarkable 



business ability and foresight, and soon he 
was investing capital in furs which he took 
to London and sold at a great profit. He 
next settled at New York, and engaged ex- 
tensively in the fur trade. He exported 
furs to Europe in his own vessels, which re- 
1 m u< id with cargoes of foreign commodities, 
and thus he rapidly amassed an immense 
fortune. In 181 1 he founded Astoria on 
the western coast of North America, near 
the mouth of the Columbia river, as a depot 
for the fur trade, for the promotion of 
which he sent a number of expeditions to 
the Pacific ocean. He also purchased a 
large amount of real estate in New York, 
the value of which increased enormously 
All through life his business ventures were 
a series of marvelous successes, and he 
ranked as one of the most sagacious and 
successful business men in the world. He 
died March 29, 1848, leaving a fortune es- 
timated at over twenty million dollars to 
his children, who have since increased it. 
John Jacob Astor left $400,000 to found a 
public library in New York City, and his son, 
William B. Astor, who died in 1875, left 
$300,000 to add to his father's bequest. 
This is known as the Astor Library, one of 
the largest in the United States. 



SCHUYLER COLFAX, an eminent 
American statesman, was born in New 
York City, March 23, 1823, being a grand- 
son of General William Colfax, the com- 
mander of Washington's life-guards. In 
1836 he removed with his mother, who was 
then a widow, to Indiana, settling at South 
Bend. Young Schuyler studied law, and 
in 1845 became editor of the "St. Joseph 
Valley Register," a Whig paper published 
at South Bend. He was a member of the 
convention which formed a new constitu- 
tion for Indiana in 1850, and he opposed 



140 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



the clause that prohibited colored men 
from settling in that state. In 1851 he was 
defeated as the Whig candidate for congress 
but was elected in 1854, and, being repeat- 
edly re-elected, continued to represent that 
district in congress until 1869. He became 
one of the most prominent and influential 
members of the house of representatives, 
and served three terms as speaker. During 
the Civil war he was an active participant 
in all public measures of importance, and 
was a confidential friend and adviser of 
President Lincoln. In May, 1868, Mr. 
Colfax was nominated for vice-president on 
the ticket with General Grant, and was 
elected. After the close of his term he re- 
tired from office, and for the remainder of 
his life devoted much of his time to lectur- 
ing and literary pursuits. His death oc- 
curred January 23, 1885. He was one of 
the most prominent members of the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows in America, 
and that order erected a bronze statue to 
his memory in University Park, Indianapo- 
lis, Indiana, which was unveiled in May, 
1887. 

WILLIAM FREEMAN VILAS, who at- 
tained a national reputation as an able 
lawyer, statesman, and cabinet officer, was 
born at Chelsea, Vermont, July 9, 1840. 
His parents removed to Wisconsin when 
our subject was but eleven years of age, 
and there with the early settlers endured all 
the hardships and trials incident to pioneer 
life. William F. Vilas was given all the 
advantages found in the common schools, 
and supplemented this by a course of study 
in the Wisconsin State University, after 
which he studied law, was admitted to the 
bar and began practicing at Madison. 
Shortly afterward the Civil war broke out 
and Mr. Vilas enlisted and became colonel 



of the Twenty-third regiment of Wisconsin 
Volunteers, serving throughout the war with 
distinction. At the close of the war he re- 
turned to Wisconsin, resumed his law prac- 
tice, and rapidly rose to eminence in this 
profession. In 1885 he was selected by 
President Cleveland for postmaster-general 
and at the close of his term again returned 
to Madison, Wisconsin, to resume the prac- 
tice of law. 

THOMAS McINTYRE COOLEY, an em- 
inent American jurist and law writer, 
was born in Attica, New York, January 6, 
1824. He was admitted to the bar in 1846, 
and four years later was appointed reporter 
of the supreme court of Michigan, which 
office he continued to hold for seven years. 
In the meantime, in 1859, he became pro- 
fessor of the law department of the Univer- 
sity of Michigan, and soon afterward was 
made dean of the faculty of that depart- 
ment. In 1864 he was elected justice of 
the supreme court of Michigan, in 1867 be- 
came chief justice of that court, and in 
1869 was re-elected for a term of eight 
years. In 1881 he again joined the faculty 
of the University of Michigan, assuming the 
professorship of constitutional and adminis- 
trative law. His works on these branches 
have become standard, and he is recog- 
nized as authority on this and related sub- 
jects. Upon the passage of the inter-state 
commerce law in 1887 he became chairman 
of the commission and served in that capac- 
ity four years. 



JOHN PETER ALTGELD, a noted 
American politician and writer on social 
questions, was born in Germany, December 
30, 1847. He came to America with his 
parents and settled in Ohio when two years 
old. In 1864 he entered the Union army 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



141 



and served till the close of the war, after 
which he settled in Chicago, Illinois. He 
was elected judge of the superior court of 
Cook county, Illinois, in 1886, in which 
capacity he served until elected governor of 
Illinois in 1892, as a Democrat. D.uring 
the first year of his term as governor he at- 
tracted national attention by his pardon of 
the anarchists convicted of the Haymarket 
murder in Chicago, and again in 1894 by 
his denunciation of President Cleveland for 
calling out federal troops to suppress the 
rioting in connection with the great Pull- 
man strike in Chicago. At the national 
convention of the Democratic party in Chi- 
cago, in July, 1896, he is said to have in- 
spired the clause in the platform denuncia- 
tory of interference by federal authorities in 
local affairs, and "government by injunc- 
tion." He was gubernatorial candidate for 
re-election on the Democratic ticket in 1896, 
but was defeated by John R. Tanner, Re- 
publican. Mr. Altgeld published two vol- 
umes of essays on " Live Questions," evinc- 
ing radical views on social matters. 



ADLAI EWING STEVENSON, an Amer- 
ican statesman and politician, was born 
in Christian county, Kentucky, October 23, 
1835, and removed with the family to 
Bloomington, Illinois, in 1852. He was 
admitted to the bar in 1858, and set- 
tled in the practice of his profession 
in Metamora, Illinois. In 1861 he was 
made master in chancery of Woodford 
county, and in 1864 was elected state's at- 
torney. In 1868 he returned to Blooming- 
ton and formed a law partnership with 
James S. Ewing. He had served as a pres- 
idential elector in 1864, and in 1868 was 
elected to congress as a Democrat, receiv- 
ing a majority vote from every county in his 
district. He became prominent in his 



party, and was a delegate to the national 
convention in 1884. On the election of 
Cleveland to the presidency Mr. Stevenson 
was appointed first assistant postmaster- 
general. After the expiration of his term 
he continued to exert a controlling influence 
in the politics of his state, and in 1892 was 
elected vice-president of the United States 
on the ticket with Grover Cleveland. At 
the expiration of his term of office he re- 
sumed the practice of law at Bloomington, 
Illinois. 

SIMON CAMERON, whose name is 
prominently identified with the history 
of the United States as a political leader 
and statesman, was born in Lancaster coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1799. He grew 
to manhood in his native county, receiving 
good educational advantages, and develop- 
ing a natural inclination for political life. 
He rapidly rose in prominence and became 
the most influential Democrat in PennsyJ' 
vania, and in 1845 was elected by that party 
to the United States senate. Upon the 
organization of the Republican party he was 
one of the first to declare his allegiance to 
it, and in 1856 was re-elected United States 
senator from Pennsylvania as a Republican. 
In March, 1861, he was appointed secretary 
of war by President Lincoln, and served 
until early in 1862, when he was sent as 
minister to Russia, returning in 1863. In 
1866 he was again elected United States 
senator and served until 1877, when he re- 
signed and was succeeded by his son, James 
Donald Cameron. He continued to exert a 
powerful influence in political affairs up to 
the time of his death, June 26, 1889. 

James Donald Cameron was the eld- 
est son of Simon Cameron, and also 
attained a high rank among American 
statesmen. He was born at Harrisburg, 



Hi 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



Pennsylvania, May 14, 1833, and received an 
excellent education, graduating at Princeton 
College in 1852. He rapidly developed into 
one of the most able and successful business 
men of the country and was largely inter- 
ested in and identified with the develop- 
ment of the coal, iron, lumber and manu- 
facturing interests of his native state. He 
served as cashier and afterward president of 
the Middletown bank, and in 1861 was made 
vice-president, and in 1863 president of 
the Northern Central railroad, holding this 
position until 1874, when he resigned and 
was succeeded by Thomas A. Scott. This 
road was of great service to the government 
during the war as a means of communica- 
tion between Pennsylvania and the national 
capital, via Baltimore. Mr. Cameron also 
took an active part in political affairs, 
always as a Republican. In May, 1876, 
he was appointed secretary of war in Pres- 
ident Grant's cabinet, and in 1877 suc- 
ceeded his father in the United States 
senate. He was re-elected in 1885, and 
again in 1891, serving until 1896, and was 
recognized as one of the most prominent and 
influential members of that body. 



ADOLPHUS W. GREELEY, a famous 
American arctic explorer, was born at 
. Newburyport, Massachusetts, March 27, 
1844. He graduated from Brown High 
School at the age of sixteen, and a year 
later enlisted in Company B, Nineteenth 
Massachusetts Infantry, and was made first 
sergeant. In 1863 he was promoted to 
second lieutenant. After the war he was 
assigned to the Fifth United States Cavalry, 
and became first lieutenant in 1873. He 
was assigned to duty in the United States 
signal service shortly after the close of the 
war. An expedition was fitted out by the 
United States government in 1881, un- 



der auspices of the weather bureau, and 
Lieutenant Greeley placed in command. 
They set sail from St. Johns the first week 
in July, and after nine days landed in Green- 
land, where they secured the services of two 
natiyes, together with sledges, dogs, furs 
and equipment. They encountered an ice 
pack early in August, and on the 28th of 
that month freezing weather set in. Two 
of his party, Lieutenant Lockwood and Ser- 
geant Brainard, added to the known maps 
about forty miles of coast survey, and 
reached the highest point yet attained by 
man, eighty-three degrees and twenty-four 
minutes north, longitude, forty-four degrees 
and five minutes west. On their return to 
Fort Conger, Lieutenant Greeley set out 
for the south on August 9, 1883. He 
reached Baird Inlet twenty days later with 
his entire party. Here they were compelled 
to abandon their boats, and drifted on an 
ice-floe for one month. They then went 
into camp at Cape Sabine, where they suf- 
fered untold hardships, and eighteen of the 
party succumbed to cold and hunger, and 
had relief been delayed two days longer 
none would have been found alive. They 
were picked up by the relief expedition, 
under Captain Schley, June 22, 1884. The 
dead were taken to New York for burial. 
Many sensational stories were published 
concerning the expedition, and Lieutenant 
Greeley prepared an exhaustive account 
of his explorations and experiences. 



LEVI P. MORTON, the millionaire poli- 
tician, was born in Shoreham, Ver- 
mont, May 16, 1824, and his early educa- 
tion consisted of the rudiments which he 
obtained in the common school up to the 
age of fourteen, and after that time what 
knowledge he gained was wrested from the 
hard school of experience. He removed to 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



148 



Hanover, Vermont, then Concord, Vermont, 
and afterwards to Boston. He had worked 
in a store at Shoreham, his native village, 
and on going to Hanover he established a 
store and went into business for himself. 
In Boston he clerked in a dry goods store, 
and then opened a business of his own in 
the same line in New York. After a short 
career he failed, and was compelled to set- 
tle with his creditors at only fifty cents on 
the dollar. He began the struggle anew, 
and when the war began he established a 
banking house in New York, with Junius 
Morgan as a partner. Through his firm 
and connections the great government war 
loans were floated, and it resulted in im- 
mense profits to his house. When he was 
again thoroughly established he invited his 
former creditors to a banquet, and under 
each guest's plate was found a check cover- 
ing the amount of loss sustained respec- 
tively, with interest to date. 

President Garfield appointed Mr. Mor- 
ton as minister to France, after he had de- 
clined the secretaryship of the navy, and in 
1888 he was nominated as candidate for 
vice-president, with Harrison, and elected. 
In 1894 he was elected governor of New 
York over David B. Hill, and served one 
term. 

CHARLES KENDALL ADAMS, one 
of the most talented and prominent 
educators this country has known, was born 
January 24, 1835, at Derby, Vermont. He 
received an elementary education in the 
common schools, and studied two terms in 
the Derby Academy. Mr. Adams moved 
with his parents to Iowa in 1856. He was 
very anxious to pursue a collegiate course, 
but this was impossible until he had attained 
the age of twenty-one. In the autumn of 
1856 he began the study of Latin and Greek 



at Denmark Academy, and in September, 
1857, he was admitted to the University of 
Michigan. Mr. Adams was wholly depend- 
ent upon himself for the means of his edu- 
cation. During his third and fourth year 
he became deeply interested in historical 
studies, was assistant librarian of the uni- 
versity, and determined to pursue a post- 
graduate course. In 1864 he was appointed 
instructor of history and Latin and was ad- 
vanced to an assistant professorship in 1865, 
and in 1867, on the resignation o^ Professoi 
White to accept the presidency of Cornell, 
he was appointed to fill the chair of profes- 
sor of history. This he accepted on con- 
dition of his being allowed to spend a year 
for special study in Germany, France and 
Italy. Mr. Adams returned in 1868, and 
assumed the duties of his professorship. 
He introduced the German system for the 
instruction of advanced history classes, and 
his lectures were largely attended. In 1885, 
on the resignation of President White at 
Cornell, he was elected his successor and 
held the office for seven years, and on Jan- 
uary 17, 1893, he was inaugurated presi- 
dent of the University of Wisconsin. Pres- 
ident Adams was prominently connected 
with numerous scientific and literary organ- 
izations and a frequent contributor to the 
historical and educational data in the peri- 
odicals and journals of the country. He 
was the author of the following: " Dem- 
ocracy and Monarchy in France," " Manual 
of Historical Literature," " A Plea for Sci- 
entific Agriculture," " Higher Education in 
Germany." 

JOSEPH B. FORAKER, a prominent po- 
litical leader and ex-governor of Ohio, 
was born near Rainsboro, Highland county, 
Ohio, July 5, 1846. His parents operated 
a small farm, with a grist and sawmill, hav- 



144 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



ing emigrated hither from Virginia and 
Delaware on account of their distaste for 
slavery. 

Joseph was reared upon a farm until 
1862, when he enlisted in the Eighty -ninth 
Ohio Infantry. Later he was made ser- 
geant, and in 1864 commissioned first lieu- 
tenant. The next year he was brevetted 
captain. At the age of nineteen he was 
mustered out of the army after a brilliant 
service, part of the time being on the staff 
of General Slocum. He participated in the 
battles of Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mount- 
ain and Kenesaw Mountain and in Sher- 
man's march to the sea. 

For two years subsequent to the war 
young Foraker was studying at the Ohio 
Wesleyan University at Delaware, but later 
went to Cornell University, at Unity, New 
York, from which he graduated July 1, 
1869. He studied law and was admitted to 
the bar. In 1879 Mr. Foraker was elected 
judge of the superior court of Cincinnati 
and held the office for three years. In 1883 
he was defeated in the contest for the gov- 
ernorship with Judge Hoadly. In 1885, 
however, being again nominated for the 
same office, he was elected and served two 
terms. In 1889, in running for governor 
again, this time against James E. Camp- 
bell, he was defeated. Two years later his 
career in the United States senate began. 
Mr. Foraker was always a prominent figure 
at all national meetings of the Republican 
party, and a strong power, politically, in his 
native state. 



LYMAN ABBOTT, an eminent American 
preacher and writer on religious sub- 
jects, came of a noted New England 
family. His father, Rev. Jacob Abbott, was 
a prolific and popular writer, and his uncle, 
Rev. John S. C. Abbott, was a noted 



preacher and author. Lyman Abbott was 
born December 18, 1835, in Roxbury, 
Massachusetts. He graduated at the New 
York University, in 1853, studied law, and 
practiced for a time at the bar, after which 
he studied theology with his uncle, Rev. 
John S. C. Abbott, and in i860 was settled 
in the ministry at Terre Haute, Indiana, re- 
maining there until after the close of the 
war. He then became connected with the 
Freedmen's Commission, continuing this 
until 1868, when he accepted the pastorate 
of the New England Congregational church, 
in New York City. A few years later he re- 
signed, to devote his time principally to lit- 
erary pursuits. For a number of years he 
edited for the American Tract Society, its 
"Illustrated Christian Weekly," also the 
New York "Christian Union." He pro- 
duced many works, which had a wide circu- 
lation, among which may be mentioned the 
following: "Jesus of Nazareth, His Life and 
Teachings," "Old Testament Shadows of 
New Testament Truths," "Morning and 
Evening Exercises, Selected from Writings 
of Henry Ward Beecher," "Laicus, or the 
Experiences of a Layman in a Country 
Parish," "Popular Religious Dictionary," 
and "Commentaries on Matthew, Mark, 
Luke, John and Acts." 



GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.— The 
well-known author, orator and journal- 
ist whose name heads this sketch, was born 
at Providence, Rhode Island, February 24, 
1824. Having laid the foundation of a 
most excellent education in his native land, 
he went to Europe and studied at the Uni- 
versity of Berlin. He made an extensive 
tour throughout the Levant, from which he 
returned home in 1850. At that early age 
literature became his field of labor, and in 
185 1 he published his first important work, 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



145 



" Nile Notes of a Howadji." In 1852 two 
works issued from his facile pen, "The 
Howadji in Syria," and "Lotus-Eating." 
Later on he was the author of the well- 
known " Potiphar Papers," " Prue and I," 
and "Trumps." He greatly distinguished 
himself throughout this land as a lecturer 
on many subjects, and as an orator had but 
few peers. He was also well known as one 
of the most fluent speakers on the stump, 
making many political speeches in favor of 
the Republican party. In recognition of 
his valuable services, Mr. Curtis was ap- 
pointed by President Grant, chairman of 
the advisory board of the civil service. Al- 
though a life-long Republican, Mr. Curtis 
refused to support Blaine for the presidency 
in 1884, because of his ideas on civil ser- 
vice and other reforms. For his memorable 
and magnificent eulogy on Wendell Phillips, 
delivered in Boston, in 1884, that city pre- 
sented Mr. Curtis with a gold medal. 

George W. Curtis, however, is best 
known to the reading public of the United 
States by his connection with the Harper 
Brothers, having been editor of the " Har- 
per's Weekly, " and of the "Easy Chair," 
in " Harper's Monthly Magazine, "for many 
years, in fact retaining that position until 
the day of his death, which occurred August 
31, 1892. 

ANDREW JOHNSON, the seventeenth 
president of the United States, served 
from 1865 to 1869. He was born Decem- 
ber 8, 1808, at -Raleigh, North Carolina, 
and was left an orphan at the age of four 
years. He never attended school, and was 
apprenticed to a tailor. While serving his 
apprenticeship he suddenly acquired a pas- 
sion for knowledge, and learned to read. 
From that time on he spent all his spare 
time in reading, and after working for two 



years as a journeyman tailor at Lauren's 
Court House, South Carolina, he removed 
to Greenville, Tennessee, where he worked 
at his trade and was married. Under his 
wife's instruction he made rapid progress in 
his studies and manifested such an interest 
in local politics as to be elected as " work- 
ingmen's candidate " alderman in 1828, and 
in 1830 to the mayoralty, and was twice 
re-elected to each office. Mr. Johnson 
utilized this time in cultivating his talents 
as a public speaker, by taking part in a de- 
bating society. He was elected in 1835 to 
the lower house of the legislature, was re- 
elected in 1839 as a Democrat, and in 
1841 was elected state senator. Mr. John- 
son was elected representative in congress 
in 1843 and was re-elected four times in 
succession until 1853, when he was the suc- 
cessful candidate for the gubernatorial chair 
of Tennessee. He was re-elected in 1855 
and in 1857 he entered the United States 
senate. In i860 he was supported by the 
Tennessee delegation to the Democratic 
convention for the presidential nomination, 
and lent his 'influence to the Breckinridge 
wing of the party. At the election of Lin- 
coln, which brought about the first attempt 
at secession in December, i860, Mr. John- 
son took a firm attitude in the senate for 
the Union. He was the leader of the loy- 
alists in East Tennessee. By the course 
that Mr. Johnson pursued in this crisis he 
was brought prominently before the north- 
ern people, and when, in March, 1862, he 
was appointed military governor of Ten- 
nessee with the rank of brigadier-general, 
he increased his popularity by the vigorous 
manner in which he labored to restore 
order. In the campaign of 1864 he was 
elected vice-president on the ticket with 
President Lincoln, and upon the assassi- 
nation of the latter he succeeded to the 



146 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



presidency, April 15, 1865. He retained 
the cabinet of President Lincoln, and at 
first exhibited considerable severity towards 
the former Confederates, but he soon inau- 
gurated a policy of reconstruction, pro- 
claimed a general amnesty to the late Con- 
federates, and established provisional gov- 
ernments in the southern states. These 
states claimed representation in congress in 
the following December, and then arose the 
momentous question as to what should be 
the policy of the victorious Union against 
their late enemies. The Republican ma- 
jority in congress had an apprehension that 
the President would undo the results of the 
war, and consequently passed two bills over 
the executive veto, and the two highest 
branches of the government were in open 
antagonism. The cabinet was reconstructed 
in July, and Messrs. Randall, Stanbury and 
Browning superseded Messrs. Denison, 
Speed and Harlan. In August, 1867, Pres- 
ident Johnson removed the secretary of war 
and replaced him with General Grant, but 
when congress met in December it refused 
to ratify the removal of Stanton, who re- 
sumed the functions of his office. In 1868 
the president again attempted to remove 
Stanton, who refused to vacate his post 
and was sustained by the senate. Presi- 
dent Johnson was accused by congress of 
high crimes and misdemeanors, but the trial 
resulted in his acquittal. Later he was Uni- 
ted States senator from Tennessee, and 
died July 31, 1875. 



EDMUND RANDOLPH, first attorney- 
general of the United States, was born 
in Virginia, August 10, 1753. His father, 
John Randolph, was attorney-general of 
Virginia, and lived and died a royalist. Ed- 
mund was educated in the law, but joined 
the army as aide-de-camp to Washington 



in 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts. He 
was elected to the Virginia convention in 
1776, and attorney-general of the state the 
same year. In 1779 he was elected to the 
Continental congress, and served four years 
in that body. He was a member of the con- 
vention in 1787 that framed the constitu- 
tion. In that convention he proposed what 
was known as the " Virginia plan" of con- 
federation, but it was rejected. He advo- 
cated the ratification of the constitution in 
the Virginia convention, although he had re- 
fused to sign it. He became governor of 
Virginia in 1788, and the next year Wash- 
ington appointed him to the office of at- 
torney-general of the United States upon 
the organization of the government under 
the constitution. He was appointed secre- 
tary of state to succeed Jefferson during 
Washington's second term, but resigned a 
year later on account of differences in the 
cabinet concerning the policy pursued to- 
ward the new French republic. He died 
September 12, 181 3. 



W INFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK was 
born in Montgomery county, Penn- 
sylvania, February 14, 1824. He received 
his early education at the Norristown 
Academy, in his native county, and, in 1840, 
was appointed a cadet in the United States 
Military Academy, at West Point. He was 
graduated from the latter in 1844, andbrev- 
etted as second lieutenant of infantry. In 
1853 he was made first lieutenant, and two 
years later transferred to the quartermaster's 
department, with the rank of captain, and 
in 1863 promoted to the rank of major. He 
served on the frontier, and in the war with 
Mexico, displaying conspicuous gallantry dur- 
ing the latter. He also took a part in the 
Seminole war, and in the troubles in Kan- 
sas, in 1857, and in California, at the out- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



147 



break of the Civil war, as chief quarter- 
master of the Southern district, he exerted 
a powerful influence. In 1861 he applied 
for active duty in the field, and was assigned 
to the department of Kentucky as chief 
quartermaster, but before entering upon that 
duty, was appointed brigadier-general of 
volunteers. His subsequent history during 
the war was substantially that of the Army 
of the Potomac. He participated in the 
campaign, under McClellan, and led the 
gallant charge, which captured Fort Magru- 
der, won the day at the battle of Wil- 
liamsburg, and by services rendered at 
Savage's Station and other engagements, 
won several grades in the regular service, 
and was recommended by McClellan for 
major-general of volunteers. He was a con- 
spicuous figure at South Mountain and An- 
tietam. He was commissioned major-gen- 
eral of volunteers, November 29, 1862, and 
made commander of the First Division of 
the Second Corps, which he led at Fred- 
ricksburg and at Chancellorsville. He was 
appointed to the command of the Second 
Corps in June, 1863, and at the battle of 
Gettysburg, July I, 2 and 3, of that year, 
took an important part. On his arrival on 
the field he found part of the forces then 
in retreat, but stayed the retrograde 
movement, checked the enemy, and on the 
following day commanded the left center, 
repulsed, on the third, the grand assault of 
General Lee's army, and was severely 
wounded. For his services on that field 
General Hancock received the thanks of 
congress. On recovering from his wound, 
he was detailed to go north to stimulate re- 
cruiting and fill up the diminished corps, and 
was the recipient of many public receptions 
and ovations. In March, 1864, he returned 
to his command, and in the Wilderness and 
at Spottsylvania led large bodies of men 



successfully and conspicuously. From that 
on to the close of the campaign he was a 
prominent figure. In November, 1864, he 
was detailed to organize the First Veteran 
Reserve Corps, and at the close of hostilities 
was appointed to the command of the Mid- 
dle Military Division. In July, 1866, he 
was made major-general of the regular 
service. He was at the head of various 
military departments until 1872, when he 
was assigned to the command of the Depart- 
ment of the Atlantic, which post he held 
until his death. In 1869 he declined the 
nomination for governor of Pennsylvania. 
He was the nominee of the Democratic 
party for president, in 1880, and was de- 
feated by General Garfield, who had a popu- 
lar majority of seven thousand and eighteen 
and an electoral majority .of fifty-nine. Gen- 
eral Hancock died February 9, 1886. 



THOMAS PAINE, the most noted polit- 
ical and deistical writer of the Revolu- 
tionary period, was born in England, Jan- 
uary 29, 1737, of Quaker parents. His edu- 
cation was- obtained in the grammar schools 
of Thetford, his native town, and supple- 
mented by hard private study while working 
at his trade of stay-maker at London and 
other cities of England. He was for a time 
a dissenting preacher, although he did not 
relinquish his employment. He married a 
revenue official's daughter, and was employed 
in the revenue service for some time. He 
then became a grocer and during all this time 
he was reading and cultivating his literary 
tastes, and had developed a clear and forci- 
ble style of composition. He was chosen to 
represent the interests of the excisemen, 
and published a pamphlet that brought 
him considerable notice. He was soon after- 
ward introduced to Benjamin Franklin, and 
having been dismissed from the service on a 



148 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



charge of smuggling, his resentment led him 
to accept the advice of that statesman to 
come to America, in 1774. He became 
editor of the ' ' Pennsylvania Magazine," and 
the next year published his "Serious 
Thoughts upon Slavery" in the "Penn- 
sylvania Journal." His greatest political 
work, however, was written at the sugges- 
tion of Dr. Rush, and entitled "Common 
Sense." It was the most popular pamphlet 
written during the period and he received 
two thousand five hundred dollars from the 
state of Pennsylvania in recognition of its 
value. His periodical, the "Crisis," began 
in 1776, and its distribution among the 
soldiers did a great deal to keep up the spirit 
of revolution. He was made secretary of 
the committee of foreign affairs, but was dis- 
missed for revealing diplomatic secrets in 
one of his controversies with Silas Deane. 
He was originator and promoter of a sub- 
scription to relieve the distress of the soldiers 
near the close of the war, and was sent to 
France with Henry Laurens to negotiate the 
treaty with France, and was granted three 
thousand dollars by congress for his services 
there, and an estate at New Rochelle, by the 
state of New York. 

In 1787, after the close of the Revolu- 
tionary war, he went to France, and a few 
years later published his " Rights of Man," 
defending the French revolution, which 
gave him great popularity in France. He 
was made a citizen and elected to the na- 
tional convention at Calais. He favored 
banishment of the king to America, and 
opposed his execution. He was imprisoned 
for about ten months during 1794 by the 
Robespierre party, during which time he 
wrote the " Age of Reason," his great deis- 
tical work. He was in danger of the guillo- 
tine for several months. He took up his 
residence with the family of James Monroe, 



then minister to France and was chosen 
again to the convention. He returned 
to the United States in 1802, and was 
cordially received throughout the coun- 
try except at Trenton, where he was insulted 
by Federalists. He retired to his estate at 
New Rochelle, and his death occurred June 
8, 1809. 

JOHN WILLIAM MACKAY was one of 
America's noted men, both in the de- 
velopment of the western coast and the 
building of the Mackay and Bennett cable. 
He was born in 1831 at Dublin, Ireland; 
came to New York in 1840 and his boyhood 
days were spent in Park Row. He went 
to California some time after the argonauts 
of 1849 and took to the primitive methods 
of mining — dost and won and finally drifted 
into Nevada about i860. The bonanza dis- 
coveries which were to have such a potent 
influence on the finance and statesmanship 
of the day came in 1872. Mr. Mackay 
founded the Nevada Bank in 1878. He is 
said to have taken one hundred and 
fifty million dollars in bullion out of 
the Big Bonanza mine. There were as- 
sociated with him in this enterprise James 
G. Fair, senator from Nevada; William 
O'Brien and James C. Flood. When 
vast wealth came to Mr. Mackay he be- 
lieved it his duty to do his country some 
service, and he agitated in his mind the 
building of an American steamship line, 
and while brooding over this his attention 
was called to the cable relations, between 
America and Europe. The financial man- 
agement of the cable was selfish and ex- 
travagant, and the capital was heavy with 
accretions of financial " water" and to pay 
even an apparent dividend upon the sums 
which represented the nominal value of the 
cables, it was necessary to hold the rates 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



149 



at an exorbitant figure. And, moreover, 
the cables were foreign; in one the influence 
of France being paramount and in the other 
that of England; and in the matter of intel- 
ligence, so necessary in case of war, we 
would be at the mercy of our enemies. This 
train of thought brought Mr. Mackay into re- 
lation with James Gordon Bennett, the pro- 
prietor of the " New York Herald." The 
result of their intercourse was that Mr. Mac- 
kay so far entered into the enthusiasm of 
Mr. Bennett over an independent cable, 
that he offered to assist the enterprise with 
five hundred thousand dollars. This was the 
inception of the Commercial Cable Com- 
pany, or of what has been known for years 
as the Mackav-Bennett cable. 



ELISHA GRAY, the great inventor and 
electrician, was born August 2, 1835. 
at Barnesville, Belmont county, Ohio. He 
was, as a child, greatly interested in the 
phenomena of nature, and read with avidity 
all the books he could obtain, relating to 
this subject. He was apprenticed to various 
trades during his boyhood, but his insatiable 
thirst for knowledge dominated his life and 
he found time to study at odd intervals. 
Supporting himself by working at his trade, 
he found time to pursue a course at Oberlin 
College, where he particularly devoted him- 
self to the study of physicial science. Mr. 
Gray secured his first patent for electrical 
or telegraph apparatus on October 1, 1867. 
His attention was first attracted to tele- 
phonic transmission during this year and he 
saw in it a way of transmitting signals for 
telegraph purposes, and conceived the idea 
of electro-tones, tuned to different tones in 
the scale. He did not then realize the im- 
portance of his invention, his thoughts being 
employed on the capacity of the apparatus 
for transmitting musical tones through an 



electric circuit, and it was not until 1874 
that he was again called to consider the re- 
production of electrically-transmitted vibra- 
tions through the medium of animal tissue. 
He continued experimenting with various 
results, which finally culminated in his 
taking out a patent for his speaking tele- 
phone on February 14, 1876. He took out 
fifty additional patents in the course of 
eleven years, among which were, telegraph 
switch, telegraph repeater, telegraph annun- 
ciator and typewriting telegraph. From 
1869 until 1873 he was employed in the 
manufacture of telegraph apparatus in Cleve- 
land and Chicago, and filled the office of 
electrician to the Western Electric Com- 
pany. He was awarded the degree of D. 
S., and in 1874 he went abroad to perfect 
himself in acoustics. Mr. Gray's latest in- 
vention was known as the telautograph or 
long distance writing machine. Mr. Gray 
wrote and published several works on scien- 
tific subjects, among which were: "Tele- 
graphy and Telephony," and " Experi- 
mental Research in Electro-Harmonic Tele- 
graphy and Telephony." 



WHITELAW REID.— Among the many 
men who have adorned the field of 
journalism in the United States, few stand 
out with more prominence than the scholar, 
author and editor whose name heads this ar- 
ticle. Born at Xenia, Greene county, Ohio, 
October 27, 1837, he graduated at Miami 
University in 1856. For about a year he 
was superintendent of the graded schools of 
South Charleston, Ohio, after which he pur- 
chased the "Xenia News," which he edited 
for about two years. This paper was the 
first one outside of Illinois to advocate the 
nomination of Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Reid 
having been a Republican since the birth of 
that party in 1856. After taking an active 



150 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRATHT. 



part in the campaign, in the winter of 1860- 
61, he went to the state capital as corres- 
pondent of three daily papers. At the close 
of the session of the legislature he became 
city editor of the "Cincinnati Gazette," 
and at the breaking out of the war went to 
the front as a correspondent for that journal. 
For a time he served on the staff of General 
Morris in West Virginia, with the rank of 
captain. Shortly after he was on the staff 
of General Rosecrans, and, under the name 
of "Agate," wrote most graphic descrip- 
tions of the movements in the field, espe- 
cially that of the battle of Pittsburg Land- 
ing. In the spring of 1862 Mr. Reid went 
to Washington and was appointed librarian 
to the house of representatives, and acted as 
correspondent of the " Cincinnati Gazette." 
His description of the battle of Gettysburg, 
written on the field, gained him added 
reputation. In 1865 he accompanied Chief 
Justice Chase on a southern tour, and pub- 
lished "After the War; a Southern Tour." 
During the next two years he was engaged 
in cotton planting in Louisiana and Ala- 
bama, and published "Ohio in the War." 
In 1868 he returned to the " Cincinnati Ga- 
zette," becoming one of its leading editors. 
The same year he accepted the invitation of 
Horace Greeley and became one of the staff 
on the " New York Tribune." Upon the 
death of Mr. Greeley in 1872, Mr. Reid be- 
came editor and chief proprietor of that 
paper. In 1878 he was tendered the United 
States mission to Berlin, but declined. The 
offer was again made by the Garfield ad- 
ministration, but again he declined. In 
1878 he was elected by the New York legis- 
lature regent of the university, to succeed 
General John A. Dix. Under the Harrison 
administration he served as United States 
minister to France, and in 1892 was the 
Republican nominee for the vice-presidency 



of the United States. Among other works 
published by him were the " Schools of 
Journalism," "The Scholar in Politics," 
"Some Newspaper Tendencies," and 
' ' Town-Hall Suggestions. " 



GEORGE WHITEFIELD was one of 
the most powerful and effective preach- 
ers the world has ever produced, swaying 
his hearers and touching the hearts of im- 
mense audiences in a manner that has rarely 
been equalled and never surpassed. While 
not a native of America, yet much of his 
labor was spent in this country. He wielded 
a great influence in the "United States in 
early days, and his death occurred here; so 
that he well deserves a place in this volume 
as one of the most celebrated men America 
has known. 

George Whitefield was born in the Bull 
Inn, at Gloucester, England, December 16, 
1 7 14. He acquired the rudiments of learn- 
ing in St. Mary's grammar school. Later 
he attended Oxford University for a time, 
where he became intimate with the Oxford 
Methodists, and resolved to devote himself 
to the ministry. He was ordained in the 
Gloucester Cathedral June 20, 1836, and 
the following day preached his first sermon 
in the same church. On that day there 
commenced a new era in Whitefield's life. 
He went to London and began to preach at 
Bishopsgate church, his fame soon spread- 
ing over the city, and shortly he was en- 
gaged four times on a single Sunday in ad- 
dressing audiences of enormous magnitude, 
and he preached in various parts of his native 
country, the people crowding in multitudes 
to hear him and hanging upon the rails and 
rafters of the churches and approaches there- 
to. He finally sailed for America, landing 
in Georgia, where he stirred the people to 
great enthusiasm. During the balance of 



COMPENDIUM OF BlOGRATHr. 



153 



his life he divided his time between Great 
Britain and America, and it is recorded that 
he crossed the Atlantic thirteen times. He 
came to America for the seventh time in 
1770. He preached every day at Boston 
from the 17th to the 20th of September, 
1770, then traveled to Newburyport, preach- 
ing at Exeter, New Hampshire, September 
29, on the way. That evening he went to 
Newburyport, where he died the next day, 
Sunday, September 30, 1770. 

" Whitefield's dramatic power was amaz- 
ing, " says an eminent writer in describing 
him. " His voice was marvelously varied, 
and he ever had it at command — an organ, 
a flute, a harp, all in one. His intellectual 
powers were not of a high order, but he had 
an abundance of that ready talent and that 
wonderful magnetism which makes the pop- 
ular preacher; and beyond all natural en- 
dowments, there was in his ministry the 
power of evangelical truth, and, as his con- 
verts believed, the presence of the spirit of 
God." 

CHARLES FRANCIS BRUSH, one of 
America's prominent men in the devel- 
opment of electrical science, was born March 
17, 1849, near Cleveland, Ohio, and spent 
his early life on his father's farm. From 
the district school at Wickliffe, Ohio, he 
passed to the Shaw Academy at Collamer, 
and then entered the high school at Cleve- 
land. His interest in chemistry, physics 
and engineering was already marked, and 
during his senior year he was placed in 
charge of the chemical and physical appar- 
atus. During these years he devised a plan 
for lighting street lamps, constructed tele- 
scopes, and his first electric arc lamp, also 
an electric motor. In September, 1867, he 
entered the engineering department of the 
University of Michigan and graduated in 



1869, which was a year in advance of his 
class, with the degree of M. E. He then 
returned to Cleveland, and for three years 
was engaged as an analytical chemist and 
for four years in the iron business. In 
1875 Mr. Brush became interested in elec- 
tric lighting, and in 1876, after four months' 
experimenting, he completed the dynamo- 
electric machine that has made his name 
famous, and in a shorter time produced the 
series arc lamps. These were both patent- 
ed in the United States in 1876, and he 
afterward obtained fifty patents on his later 
inventions, including the fundamental stor- 
age battery, the compound series, shunt- 
winding for dynamo-electric machines, and 
the automatic cut-out for arc lamps. His 
patents, two-thirds of which have already 
been profitable, are held by the Brush 
Electric Company, of Cleveland, while his 
foreign patents are controlled by the Anglo- 
American Brush Electric Light Company, 
of London. In 1880 the Western Reserve 
University conferred upon Mr. Brush the 
degree of Ph. D., and in 1881 the French 
government decorated him as a chevalier of 
the Legion of Honor. 



HENRY CLEWS, of Wall-street fame, 
was one of the noted old-time opera- 
tors on that famous street, and was also an 
author of some repute. Mr. Clews was 
born in Staffordshire, England, August 14, 
1840. His father had him educated with 
the intention of preparing him for the minis- 
try, but on a visit to the United States the 
young man became interested in a business 
life, and was allowed to engage as a clerk in 
the importing house of Wilson G. Hunt & 
Co., of New York. Here he learned the 
first principles of business, and when the war 
broke out in 1861 young Clews saw in the 
needs of the government an opportunity to 



154 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



reap a golden harvest. He identified him- 
self with the negotiating of loans for the 
government, and used his powers of pur- 
suasion upon the great money powers to 
convince them of the stability of the govern- 
ment and the value of its securities. By 
enthusiasm and patriotic arguments he in- 
duced capitalists to invest their money in 
government securities, often against their 
judgment, and his success was remarkable. 
His was one of the leading firms that aided 
the struggling treasury department in that 
critical hour, and his reward was great. In 
addition to the vast wealth it brought, 
President Lincoln and Secretary Chase 
both wrote important letters, acknowledging 
his valued service. In 1873, by the repu- 
diation of the bonded indebtedness of the 
state of Georgia, Mr. Clews lost six million 
dollars which he had invested in those se- 
curities. It is said that he is the only man, 
with one exception, in Wall street, who 
ever regained great wealth after utter dis- 
aster. His " Twenty-Eight Years in Wall 
Street " has been widely read. 



ALFRED VAIL was one of the men that 
gave to the world the electric telegraph 
and the names of Henry, Morse and Vail 
will forever remain linked as the prime fac- 
tors in that great achievement. Mr. Vail 
was born September 25, 1807, at Morris- 
town, New Jersey, and was a son of Stephen 
Vail, the proprietor of the Speedwell Iron 
Works, near Morristown. At the age of 
seventeen, after he had completed his stud- 
ies at the Morristown Academy, Alfred Vail 
went into the Speedwell Iron Works and 
contented himself with the duties of his 
position until he reached his majority. He 
then determined to prepare himself for the 
ministry, and at the age of twenty-five he 
entered the University of the City of New 



York, where he was graduated in 1836. His 
health becoming impaired he labored for a 
time under much uncertainty as to his future 
course. Professor S. F. B. Morse had come 
to the university in 1835 as professor of lit- 
erature and fine arts, and about this time, 

1837, Professor Gale, occupying the chair 
of chemistry, invited Morse to exhibit his 
apparatus for the benefit of the students. 
On Saturday, September 2, 1837, the exhi- 
bition took place and Vail was asked to at- 
tend, and with his inherited taste for me- 
chanics and knowledge of their construction, 
he saw a great future for the crude mechan- 
ism used by Morse in giving and recording 
signals. Mr. Vail interested his father in 
the invention, and Morse was invited to 
Speedwell and the elder Vail promised to 
help him. It was stipulated that Alfred 
Vail should construct the required apparatus 
and exhibit before a committee of congress 
the telegraph instrument, and was to receive 
a quarter interest in the invention. Morse 
had devised a series of ten numbered leaden 
types, which were to be operated in giving 
the signal. This was not satisfactory to 
Vail, so he devised an entirely new instru- 
ment, involving a lever, or "point," on a 
radically different principle, which, when 
tested, produced dots and dashes, and de- 
vised the famous dot-and-dash alphabet, 
misnamed the "Morse." At last the ma- 
chine was in working order, on January 6, 

1838. The machine was taken to Wash- 
ington, where it caused not only wonder, 
but excitement. Vail continued his experi- 
ments and devised the lever and roller. 
When the line between Baltimore and 
Washington was completed, Vail was sta- 
tioned at the Baltimore end and received 
the famous first message. It is a remarka- 
ble fact that not a single feature of the 
original invention of Morse, as formulated 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



15ft 



by his caveat and repeated in his original 
patent, is to be found in Vail's apparatus. 
From 1837 to 1844 it was a combination of 
the inventions of Morse, Henry and Vail, 
but the work of Morse fell gradually into 
desuetude, while Vail's conception of an 
alphabet has remained unchanged for half a 
century. Mr. Vail published but one work, 
"American Electro-Magnetic Telegraph," 
in 1845, and died at Morristown at the com- 
paratively early age of fifty-one, on January 
19- '§59- 

ULYSSES S. GRANT, the eighteenth 
president of the United States, was 
born April 27, 1822, at Point Pleasant, Cler- 
mont county, Ohio. At the age of seven- 
teen he entered the United States Military 
Academy at West Point, from which he 
graduated in June, 1843, an d was given his 
brevet as second lieutenant and assigned to 
the Fourth Infantry. He remained in the 
service eleven years, in which time he 
was engaged in the Mexican war with gal- 
lantry, and was thrice brevetted for conduct 
in the field. In 1848 he married Miss Julia 
Dent, and in 1854, having reached the 
grade of captain, he resigned and engaged 
in farming near St. Louis. In i860 he en- 
tered the leather business with his father at 
Galena, Illinois. 

On the breaking out of the war, in 1861, 
he commenced to drill a company at Ga- 
lena, and at the same time offered his serv- 
ices to the adjutant-general of the army, 
but he had few influential friends, so re- 
ceived no answer. He was employed by 
the governor of Illinois in the organization 
of the various volunteer regiments, and at 
the end of a few weeks was given the 
colonelcy of the Twenty-first Infantry, from 
that state. His military training and knowl- 
edge soon attracted the attention of his su- 



perior officers, and on reporting to General 
Pope in Missouri, the latter put him in 
the way of advancement. August 7, 1861, 
he was promoted to the rank of brigadier- 
general of volunteers, and for a few weeks 
was occupied in watching the movements of 
partisan forces in Missouri. September 1, 
the same year, he was placed in command 
of the Department of Southeast Missouri, 
with headquarters at Cairo, and on the 6th 
of the month, without orders, seized Padu- 
cah, which commanded the channel of the 
Ohio and Tennessee rivers, by which he se- 
cured Kentucky for the Union. He now 
received orders to make a demonstration on 
Belmoat, which he did, and with about three 
thousand raw recruits held his own against 
the Confederates some seven thousand 
strong, bringing back about two hundred 
prisoners and two guns. In February,Ji862, 
he moved up the Tennessee river with 
the naval fleet under Commodore Foote. 
The latter soon silenced Fort Henry, and 
Grant advanced against Fort Donelson and 
took their fortress and its garrison. His 
prize here consisted of sixty-five cannon, 
seventeen thousand six hundred stand of 
arms, and fourteen thousand six hundred 
and twenty-three prisoners. This was the 
first important success won by the Union 
forces. Grant was immediately made a 
major-general and placed in command of 
the district of West Tennessee. In April, 
1862, he fought the battle of Pittsburg Land- 
ing, and after the evacuation of Corinth by 
the enemy Grant became commander of the 
Department of the Tennessee. He now 
made his first demonstration toward Vicks- 
burg, but owing to the incapacity of subor- 
dinate officers, was unsuccessful. In Janu- 
ary, 1863, he took command of all the 
troops in the Mississippi Valley and devoted 
several months to the siege of Vicksburg, 



156 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHr. 



which was finally taken possession of by him 
July 4, with thirty-one thousand six hundred 
prisoners and one hundred and seventy-two 
cannon, thus throwing the Mississippi river 
open to the Federals. He was now raised 
to the rank of major-general in the regular 
army. October following, at the head of 
the Department of the Mississippi, General 
Grant went to Chattanooga, where he over- 
threw the enemy, and united with the Army 
of the Cumberland. The remarkable suc- 
cesses achieved by him pointed Grant out 
for an appropriate commander of all na- 
tional troops, and in February, 1864, the 
rank of lieutenant-general was made for him 
by act of congress. Sending Sherman into 
Georgia, Sigel into the Valley of West Vir- 
ginia and Butler to attempt the capture of 
Richmond he fought his way through the 
Wilderness to the James and pressed the 
siege of the capital of the Confederacy. 
After the fall of the latter Grant pressed 
the Confederate army so hard that their 
commander surrendered at Appomattox 
Court House, April 9, 1865. This virtually 
ended the war. 

After the war the rank of general was 
conferred upon U. S. Grant, and in 1868 he 
was elected president of the United States, 
and re-elected his own successor in 1872. 
After the expiration of the latter term he 
made his famous tour of the world. He died 
at Mt. McGregor, near Saratoga, New York, 
July 23, 1885, and was buried at Riverside 
Park, New York, where a magnificent tomb 
has been erected to hold the ashes of the 
nation's hero. 



JOHN MARSHALL, the fourth chief jus- 
tice of the United States supreme court, 
was born in Germantown, Virginia, Septem- 
ber 24, 1755 His father, Colonel Thomas 
Marshall, served with distinction in the Rev- 



olutionary war, while he also served from 
the beginning of the war until 1779, where 
he became noted in the field and courts 
martial. While on detached service he at- 
tended a course of law lectures at William 
and Mary College, delivered by Mr. Wythe, 
and was admitted to the bar. The next year 
he resigned his commission and began his 
career as a lawyer. He was a distinguished 
member of the convention called in Virginia 
to ratify the Federal constitution. He was 
tendered the attorney-generalship of the 
United States, and also a place on the su- 
preme bench, besides other places of less 
honor, all of which he declined. He 
went to France as special envoy in 1798, 
and the next year was elected to congress. 
He served one year and was appointed, first, 
secretary of war, and then secretary of state, 
and in 1801 was made chief justice of the 
United States. He held this high office un- 
til his death, in 1835. 

Chief Justice Marshall's early education 
was neglected, and his opinions, the most 
valuable in existence, are noted for depth 
of wisdom, clear and comprehensive reason- 
ing, justice, and permanency, rather than for 
wide learning and scholarly construction. 
His decisions and rulings are resorted to 
constantly by our greatest lawyers, and his 
renown as a just judge and profound jurist 
was world wide. 



LAWRENCE BARRETT is perhaps 
known more widely as a producer of 
new plays than as a great actor. He was 
born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1838, and 
educated himself as best he could, and at 
the age of sixteen years became salesman 
for a Detroit dry goods house. He after- 
wards began to go upon the stage as a 
supernumerary, and his ambition was soon 
rewarded by the notice of the management. 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



157 



During the war of the Rebellion he was a 
soldier, and after valiant service for his 
country he returned to the stage. He went 
to Europe and appeared in Liverpool, and 
returning in 1869, he began playing at 
Booth's theater, with Mr. Booth. He was 
afterward associated with John McCullough 
in the management of the California 
theater. Probably the most noted period 
of his work was during his connection with 
Edwin Booth as manager of that great 
actor, and supporting him upon the stage. 
Mr. Barrett was possessed of the crea- 
tive instinct, and, unlike Mr. Booth, he 
sought new fields for the display of his 
genius, and only resorted to traditional 
drama in response to popular demand. He 
preferred new plays, and believed in the 
encouragement of modern dramatic writers, 
and was the only actor of prominence in his 
time that ventured to put upon the stage 
new American plays, which he did at his 
own expense, and the success of his experi- 
ments proved the quality of his judgment. 
He died March 21, 189c. 



ARCHBISHOP JOHN HUGHES, a cel- 
ebrated Catholic clergyman, was born 
at Annaboghan, Tyrone county, Ireland, 
June 24, 1797, and emigrated to America 
when twenty years of age, engaging for 
some time as a gardener and nurseryman. 
In 1 8 19 he entered St. Mary's College, 
where he secured an education, paying his 
way by caring for the college garden. In 
1825 he was ordained a deacon of the Ro- 
man Catholic church, and in the same year, 
a priest. Until 1 838 he had pastoral charges 
in Philadelphia, where he founded St. John's 
Asylum in 1829, and a few years later es- 
tablished the "Catholic Herald." In 1838 
he was made bishop of Basileopolis in parti- 
bus and coadjutor to Bishop Dubois, of 



New York, and in 1842 became bishop of 
New York. In 1839 he founded St. John's 
College, at Fordharn. In 1850 he was 
made archbishop of New York. In 1 861-2 
he was a special agent of the United States 
in Europe, after which he returned to this 
country and remained until his death, Jan- 
uary 3, 1864. Archbishop Hughes early 
attracted much attention by his controver- 
sial correspondence with Rev. John Breck- 
inridge in 1833-35. He was a man of great 
ability, a fluent and forceful writer and an 
able preacher. 

RUTHERFORD BIRCHARD HAYES 
was the nineteenth president of the 
United States and served from 1877 to 1881. 
He was born October 4, 1822, at Delaware, 
Ohio, and his ancestry can be traced back 
as far as 1280, when Hayes and Rutherford 
were two Scottish chieftans fighting side by 
side with Baliol, William Wallace and 
Robert Bruce. The Hayes family had for 
a coat of arms, a shield, barred and sur- 
mounted by a flying eagle. There was a 
circle of stars about the eagle, while on a 
scroll underneath was their motto, "Recte." 
Misfortune overtook the family and in 1680 
George Hayes, the progenitor of the Ameri- 
can family, came to Connecticut and settled 
at Windsor. Rutherford B. Hayes was 
a very delicate child at his birth and was 
not expected to live, but he lived in spite of 
all and remained at home until he was 
seven years old, when he was placed in 
school. He was a very tractable pupil, being 
always very studious, and in 1838 entered 
Kenyon College, graduating from the same 
in 1842. He then took up the study of law 
in the office of Thomas Sparrow at Colum- 
bus, but in a short time he decided to enter 
a law school at Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
where for two years he was immersed in the 



158 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



study of law. Mr. Hayes was admitted to 
the bar in 1845 in Marietta, Ohio, and very 
soon entered upon the active practice of his 
profession with Ralph P. Buckland, of 
Fremont, Ohio. He remained there three 
years, and in 1849 removed to Cincinnati, 
Ohio, where his ambition found a new 
stimulus. Two events occurred at this 
period that had a powerful influence on his 
after life. One was his marriage to Miss 
Lucy Ware Webb, and the other was his 
introduction to a Cincinnati literary club, 
a body embracing such men as Salmon P. 
Chase, John Pope, and Edward F. Noyes. 
In 1856 he was nominated for judge of the 
court of common pleas, but declined, and 
two years later he was appointed city 
solicitor. At the outbreak of the Rebellion 
Mr. Hayes was appointed major of the 
Twenty-third Ohio Infantry, June 7, 1861, 
and in July the regiment was ordered to 
Virginia, and October 15, 1861, saw him 
promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy of his 
regiment. He was made colonel of the 
Seventy-ninth Ohio Infantry, but refused to 
leave his old comrades; and in the battle of 
South Mountain he was wounded very 
severely and was unable to rejoin his regi- 
ment until November 30, 1862. He had 
been promoted to the colonelcy of the 
regiment on October 15, 1862. In the 
following December he was appointed to 
command the Kanawa division and was 
given the rank of brigadier-general for 
meritorious services in several battles, and 
in 1864 he was brevetted major-general for 
distinguished services in 1864, during 
which campaign he was wounded several 
times and five horses had been shot under 
him. Mr. Hayes' first venture in politics 
was as a Whig, and later he was one of the 
first to unite with the Republican party. In 
1864 he was elected from the Second Ohio 



district to congress, re-elected in 1866, 
and in 1867 was elected governor of Ohio 
over Allen G. Thurman, and was re-elected 
in 1869. Mr. Hayes was elected to the 
presidency in 1876, for the term of four 
years, and at its close retired to private life, 
and went to his home in Fremont, Ohio, 
where he died on January 17, 1893. 



WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN became 
a celebrated character as the nominee 
of the Democratic and Populist parties for 
president of the United States in 1896. He 
was born March 19, i860, at Salem, Illi- 
nois. He received his early education in 
the public schools of his native county, and 
later on he attended the Whipple Academy 
at Jacksonville. He also took a course in 
Illinois College, and after his graduation 
from the same went to Chicago to study 
law, and entered the Union College of Law 
a? a student. He was associated with the 
late Lyman Trumbull, of Chicago, during 
his law studies, and devoted considerable 
time to the questions of government. He 
graduated from the college, was admitted to 
the bar, and went to Jacksonville, Illinois, 
where he was married to Miss Mary Eliza- 
beth Baird. In 1887 Mr. Bryan removed 
to Lincoln, Nebraska, and formed a law 
partnership with Adolphus R. Talbot. He 
entered the field of politics, and in 188S 
was sent as a delegate to the state con- 
vention, which was to choose delegates to 
the national convention, during which he 
made a speech which immediately won him 
a high rank in political affairs. He declined, 
in the next state convention, a nomination 
for lieutenant-governor, and in 1890 he was 
elected congressman from the First district 
of Nebraska, and was the youngest member 
of the fifty-second congress. He cham- 
pioned the Wilson tariff bill, and served 



COMPENDIUM OP BIOGRAPHY. 



159 



three terms in the house of representatives. 
He next ran for senator, but was defeated 
by John M. Thurston, and in 1896 he was 
selected by the Democratic and Populist 
parties as their nominee for the presidency, 
being defeated by William McKinley. 



M 



ARVIN HUGHITT, one of America's 
famous railroad men, was born in 
Genoa, New York, and entered the railway 
service in 1856 as superintendent of tele- 
graph and trainmaster of the St. Louis, Al- 
ton & Chicago, now Chicago & Alton Rail- 
road. Mr. Hughitt was superintendent of 
the southern division of the Illinois Central 
Railroad from 1862 until 1864, and was, later 
on, the general superintendent of the road 
until 1870. He was then connected with 
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- 
road as assistant general manager, and re- 
tained this position until 1871, when he be- 
came the general manager of Pullman's 
Palace Car Company. In 1872 he was made 
general superintendent of the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railroad. He served during 
1876 and up to 1880 as general manager, 
and from 1880 until 1887 as vice-presi- 
dent and general manager. He was elected 
president of the road in 1887, in recog- 
nition of his ability in conducting the 
affairs of the road. He was also chosen 
president of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minne- 
apolis & Omaha Railway; the Fremont, Elk- 
horn & Missouri Valley Railroad, and the 
Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railroad, 
and his services in these capacities stamped 
him as one of the most able railroad mana- 
gers of his day. 



JOSEPH MEDILL, one of the most 
eminent of American journalists, was 
born in New Brunswick, Canada, April 6, 
1823. In 1831 his father moved to Stark 



county, Ohio, and until 1841 Joseph Medill 
worked on his father's farm. Later he 
studied law, and began the practice of that 
profession in 1846 at New Philadelphia, 
Ohio. But the newspaper field was more 
attractive to Mr. Medill, and three years 
later he founded a free-soil Whig paper at 
Coshocton, Ohio, and after that time jour- 
nalism received all his abilities. "The 
Leader, " another free-soil Whig paper, was 
founded by Mr. Medill at Cleveland in 1852. 
In that city he also became one of the first 
organizers of the Republican party. Shortly 
after that event he removed to Chicago and 
in 1855, with two partners, he purchased 
the " Chicago Tribune." In the contest for 
the nomination for the presidency in i860, 
Mr. Medill worked with unflagging zeal for 
Mr. Lincoln, his warm personal friend, and 
was one of the president's stanchest sup- 
porters during the war. Mr. Medill was a 
member of the Illinois Constitutional con- 
vention in 1870. President Grant, in 1871, 
appointed the editor a member of the firs- 
United States civil service commission, and 
the following' year, after the fire, he was 
elected mayor of Chicago by a great ma- 
jority. During 1873 and 1874 Mr. Medill 
spent a year in Europe. Upon his return 
he purchased a controlling interest in the 
" Chicago Tribune." 



CLAUSSPRECKELS, the great " sugar 
baron," and one of the most famous 
representatives of commercial life in Amer- 
ica, was born in Hanover, Germany, and 
emigrated to the United States in 1840, 
locating in New York. He very soon be- 
came the proprietor of a small retail gro- 
cery store on Church street, and embarked 
on a career that has since astonished the 
world. He sold out his business and went 
to California with the argonauts of 1849, 



160 



COMPENDIUM OP BIOGRAPHY 



not as a prospector, but as a trader, and for 
years after his arrival on the coast he was 
still engaged as a grocer. At length, after a 
quarter of a century of fairly prosperous 
business life, he found himself in a position 
where an ordinary man would have retired, 
but Mr. Spreckles did not retire; he had 
merely been gathering capital for the real 
work of his life. His brothers had followed 
him to California, and in combination with 
them he purchased for forty thousand dollars 
an interest in the Albany Brewery in San 
Francisco. But the field was not extensive 
enough for the development of his business 
abilities, so Mr. Sprecklas branched out 
extensively in the sugar business. He suc- 
ceeded in securing the entire output of 
sugar that was produced on the Sand- 
wich Islands, and after 1885 was known as 
the " Sugar King of Sandwich Islands." 
He controlled absolutely the sugar trade of 
the Pacific coast which was known to be 
not less than ten million dollars a year. 



CHARLES HENRY PARKHURST, 
famous as a clergyman, and for many 
years president of the Society for the 
Prevention of Crime, was born April 17, 
1842, at Framingham, Massachusetts, of 
English descent. At the age of sixteen 
he was pupil in the grammar school at 
Clinton, Massachusetts, and for the ensu- 
ing two years was a clerk in a dry goods 
store, which position he gave up to prepare 
himself for college at Lancaster academy. 
Mr. Parkhurst went to Amherst in 1862, 
and after taking a thorough course he gradu- 
ated in 1866, and in 1867 became the prin- 
cipal of the Amherst High School. He re- 
tained this position until 1870, when he 
visited Germany with the intention of tak- 
ing a course in philosophy and theology, 
but was forced to abandon this intention on 



account of illness in the family causing his 
early return from Europe. He accepted the 
chair of Latin and Greek in Williston Semi- 
nary, Easthampton, Massachusetts, and re- 
mained there two years. He then accom- 
panied his wife to Europe, and devoted two 
years to study in Halle, Leipsic and Bonn. 
Upon his return home he spent considerable 
time in the study of Sanscrit, and in 1874 
he became the pastor of the First Congrega- 
tional church at Lenox, Massachusetts. He 
gained here his reputation as a pulpit ora- 
tor, and on March 9, 1880, he became the 
pastor of the Madison Square Presbyterian 
church of New York. He was, in 1890, 
made a member of the Society for the Pre- 
vention of Crime, and the same year be- 
came its president. He delivered a sermon 
in 1892 on municipal corruption, for which 
he was brought before the grand jury, which 
body declared his charges to be without suffi- 
cient foundation. But the matter did not end 
here, for he immediately went to work on a 
second sermon in which he substantiated his 
former sermon and wound up by saying, 
"I know, for I have seen." He was again 
summoned before that august body, and as 
a result of his testimony and of the investi- 
gation of the jurors themselves, the police 
authorities were charged with incompetency 
and corruption. Dr. Parkhurst was the 
author of the following works: ' ' The Forms 
of the Latin Verb, Illustrated by Sanscrit," 
"The Blind Man's Creed and Other Ser- 
mons," "The Pattern on the Mount," and 
" Three Gates on a Side." 



HENRY BERGH, although a writer, 
diplomatist and government official, 
was noted as a philanthropist — the founder 
of the American Society for the Prevention 
of Cruelty to Animals. On his labors for 
the dumb creation alone rests his fame. 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



161 



Alone, in the face of indifference, opposition 
and ridicule, he began the reform which is 
now recognized as one of the beneficent 
movements of the age. Through his exer- 
tions as a speaker and lecturer, but above 
all as a bold worker, in the street, in the 
court room, before the legislature, the cause 
he adopted gained friends and rapidly in- 
creased in power until it has reached im- 
mense proportions and influence. The work 
of the society covers all cases of cruelty to 
all sorts of animals, employs every moral 
agency, social, legislative and personal, and 
touches points of vital concern to health as 
well as humanity. 

Henry Bergh was born in New York 
City in 1823, and was educated at Colum- 
bia College. In 1863 he was made secre- 
tary of the legation to Russia and also 
served as vice-consul there. He also de- 
voted some time to literary pursuits and was 
the author of "Love's Alternative," a 
drama; "Married Off," a poem; "'The 
Portentous Telegram," "The Ocean Para- 
gon;" "The Streets of New York," tales 
and sketches. 



HENRY BENJAMIN WHIPPLE, one 
of the most eminent of American di- 
vines, was born in Adams, Jefferson county, 
New York, February 15, 1822. He was 
brought up in the mercantile business, and 
early in life took an active interest in polit- 
ical affairs. In 1847 he became a candidate 
for holy orders and pursued theological 
studies with Rev. W. D. Wilson, D. D., 
afterward professor in Cornell University. 
He was ordained deacon in 1849, in Trinity 
church, Geneva, New York, by Rt. Rev. 
W. H. De Lancey, D. D., and took charge 
of Zion church, Rome, New York, Decem- 
ber 1, 1849. In 1850, our subject was or- 
dained priest by Bishop De Lancey. In 



1857 he became rector of the Church of the 
Holy Communion, Chicago. On the 30th 
of June, 1859, he was chosen bishop of 
Minnesota, and took charge of the interests 
of the Episcopal church in that state, being 
located at Faribault. In i860 Bishop 
Whipple, with Revs. I. L. Breck, S. W. 
Mauncey and E. S. Peake, organized the 
Bishop Seabury Mission, out of which has 
grown the Cathedral of Our Merciful Savior, 
the Seabury Divinity School, Shattuck 
School and St. Mary's Hall, which have 
made Faribault City one of the greatest 
educational centers of the northwest. Bishop 
Whipple also became noted as the friend 
and defender of the North American In- 
dians and planted a number of successful 
missions among them. 



EZRA CORNELL was one of the greatest 
philanthropists and friends of education 
the country has known. He was born at 
Westchester Landing, New York, January 
11, 1807. He grew to manhood in his na- 
tive state and became a prominent figure in 
business circles as a successful and self-made 
man. Soon after the invention of the elec- 
tric telegraph, he devoted his attention to 
that enterprise, and accumulated an im- 
mense fortune. In 1865, by a gift of five 
hundred thousand dollars, he made possible 
the founding of Cornell University, which 
was named in his honor. He afterward 
made additional bequests amountingto many 
hundred thousand dollars. His death oc- 
curred at Ithaca, New York, December 9, 
1874- 

IGNATIUS DONNELLY, widely knowL 
1 as an author and politician, was born in 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 3, 
1831. He was educated at the public 
schools of that city, and graduated from the 



162 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



Central High School in 1849. He studied 
law in the office of Judge B. H. Brewster, 
and was admitted to the bar in 1852. In 
the spring of 1856, Mr. Donnelly emigrated 
to Minnesota, then a new territory, and, at 
Hastings, resumed the practice of law in 
partnership with A. M. Hayes. In 1857, 
and again in 1858, he was defeated for state 
senator, but in 1859 he was elected by the 
Republicans as lieutenant-governor, and re- 
elected in 1 86 1. In 1862 he was elected to 
represent the Second district of Minnesota 
in congress. He was re-elected to the same 
office in 1864 and in 1866. He was an 
abolitionist and warmly supported President 
Lincoln's administration, but was strongly 
in favor of leniency toward the people of 
the south, after the war. In many ways he 
was identified with some of the best meas- 
ures brought before the house during his 
presence there. In the spring of 1868, at 
the request of the Republican national com- 
mittee, he canvassed New Hampshire and 
Connecticut in the interests of that party. 
E. B. Washburne about this time made an 
attack on Donnelly in one of the papers of 
Minnesota, which was replied to on the floor 
of the house by a fierce phillipic that will 
long be remembered. Through the inter- 
vention of the Washburne interests Mr. Don- 
nelly failed of a re-election in 1870. In 
1873 he was elected to the state senate from 
Dakota county, and continuously re-elected 
until 1878. In 1886 he was elected mem- 
ber of the house for two years. In later 
years he identified himself with the Popu- 
list party. 

In 1882, Mr. Donnelly became known as 
an author, publishing his first literary work, 
"Atlantis, the Antediluvian World," which 
passed through over twenty-two editions in 
America, several in England, and was trans- 
lated into French. This was followed by 



" Ragnarok, the Age of Fire and Gravel," 
which attained nearly as much celebrity as 
the first, and these two, in the opinion of 
scientific critics, are sufficient to stamp the 
author as a most capable and painstaking 
student of the facts he has collated in them. 
The work by which he gained the greatest 
notoriety, however, was "The Great Cryp- 
togram, or Francis Bacon's Cipher in the 
Shakespeare Plays." "Caesar's Column," 
" Dr. Huguet," and other works were pub- 
lished subsequently. 



STEVEN V. WHITE, a speculator of 
Wall Street of national reputation, was 
born in Chatham county, North Carolina, 
August 1, 1 83 1, and soon afterward re- 
moved to Illinois. His home was a log 
cabin, and until his eighteenth year he 
worked on the farm. Then after several 
years of struggle with poverty he graduated 
from Knox College, and went to St. Louis, 
where he entered a wholesale boot and shoe 
house as bookkeeper. He then studied law 
and worked as a reporter for the "Missouri 
Democrat." After his admission to the bar 
he went to New York, in 1865, and became 
a member of the banking house of Marvin 
& White. Mr. White enjoyed the reputa- 
tion of having engineered the only corner 
in Wall Street since Commodore Vander- 
bilt's time. This was the famous Lacka- 
wanna deal in 1883, in which he made a 
profit of two million dollars. He was some- 
times called " Deacon" White, and, though 
a member for many years of the Plymouth 
church, he never held that office. Mr. 
White was one of the most noted characters 
of the street, and has been called an orator, 
poet, philanthropist, linguist, abolitionist, 
astronomer, schoolmaster, plowboy, and 
trapper. He was a lawyer, ex-congress- 
man, expert accountant, art critic andtheo- 



compexdilm of biography 



J 63 



logian. He laid the foundation for a 
"Home for Colored People," in Chatham 
county, North Carolina, where the greater 
part of his father's life was spent, and in 
whose memory the work was undertaken. 



JAMES A. GARFIELD, the twentieth 
president of the United States, was born 
November 19, 1831, in Cuyahoga county, 
Ohio, and was the son of Abram and Eliza 
(Baliou) Garfield. In 1833 the father, an 
industrious pioneer farmer, died, and the 
care of the family devolved upon Thomas, 
to whom James became deeply indebted for 
educational and other advantages. As James 
grew up he was industrious and worked on 
the farm, at carpentering, at chopping wood, 
or anything else he found to do, and in the 
meantime made the most of his books. 

Until he was about sixteen, James' high- 
est ambition was to become a sea captain. 
On attaining that age he walked to 
Cleveland, and, not being able to find work, 
he engaged as a driver on the Ohio & Penn- 
sylvania canal, but quit this after a short 
time. He attended the seminary at Ches- 
ter for about three years, after which he 
entered Hiram Institute, a school started by 
the Disciples of Christ in 1850. In order 
to pay his way he assumed the duties of 
janitor and at times taught school. After 
completing his course at the last named edu- 
cational institution he entered Williams Col- 
lege, from which he graduated in 1856. He 
afterward returned to Hiram College as its 
president. He studied law and was admitted 
to the bar in 1859. November 11, 1858, 
Mr. Garfield and Lucretia Rudolph were 
married. 

In 1859 Mr. Garfield made his first polit- 
ical speeches, at Hiram and in the neighbor- 
hood. The same year he was elected to the 
state senate. 



On the breaking out of the war, in 1861, 
he became lieutenant-colonel of the Forty- 
second Ohio Infantry, and, while but a ne^\ 
soldier, was given command of four regi- 
ments of infantry and eight companies of 
cavalry, with which he drove the Confeder- 
ates under Humphrey Marshall out of Ken 
tucky. January 11, 1862, he was commis- 
sioned brigadier-general. He participated 
with General Buell in the battle of Shiloh 
and the operations around Corinth, and was 
then detailed as a member of the Fitz John 
Porter court-martial. Reporting to General 
Rosecrans, he was assigned to the position 
of chief of staff, and resigned his position, 
with the rank of major-general, when his 
immediate superior was superseded. In 
the fall of 1862 Mr. Garfield was elected to 
congress and remained in that body, either 
in the house or senate, until 1880. 

June 8, 1880, at the national Republican 
convention, held in Chicago, General Gar- 
field was nominated for the presidency, and 
was elected. He was inaugurated March 
4, 1 88 1, but, July 2, following, he was shot 
and fatally wounded by Charles Guiteau for 
some fancied political slight, and died Sep- 
tember 19, 1 88 1. 



INCREASE MATHER was one of the 
1 most prominent preachers, educators and 
authors of early times in the New England 
states. He was born at Dorchester, Massa- 
chusetts, June 21, 1639, and was given an 
excellent education, graduating at Harvard 
in 1656, and at Trinity College, Dublin, 
two years later. He was ordained a min- 
ister, and preached in England and America, 
and in 1664 became pastor of the North 
church, in Boston. In 1685 he became 
president of Harvard University, serving 
until 1 70 1. In 1692 he received the first 
doctorate in divinity conferred in English 



164 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



speaking America. The same year he pro- 
cured in England a new charter for Massa- 
chusetts, which conferred upon himself the 
power of naming the governor, lieutenant- 
governor and council. He opposed the 
severe punishment of witchcraft, and took 
a prominent part in all public affairs of his 
day. He was a prolific writer, and became 
the author of nearly one hundred publica- 
tions, large and small. His death occurred 
August 23, 1723, at Boston. 



COTTON MATHER, a celebrated minis- 
ter in the "Puritan times" of New 
England, was born at Boston, Massachu- 
setts, February 12, 1663, being a son of 
Rev. Increase Mather, and a grandson of 
John Cotton. A biography of his father 
will be found elsewhere in this volume. 
Cotton Mather received his early education 
in his native city, was trained by Ezekiel 
Cheever, and graduated at Harvard College 
in 1678; became a teacher, and in 1684 
was ordained as associate pastor of North 
church, Boston, with his father, having by 
persistent effort overcome an impediment in 
his speech. He labored with great zeal as 
a pastor, endeavoring also, to establish the 
ascendancy of the church and ministry in 
civil affairs, and in the putting down of 
witchcraft by legal sentences, a work in 
which he took an active part and through 
which he is best known in history. He re- 
ceived the degree of D. D. in 17 10, con- 
ferred by the University of Glasgow, and 
F. R. S. in 17 1 3. His death occurred at 
Boston, February 13, 1728. He was the 
author of many publications, among which 
were " Memorable Providences Relating to 
Witchcraft," "Wonders of the Invisible 
World," "Essays to Do Good," " Mag- 
nalia Christi Americana," and " Illustra- 
tions of the Sacred Scriptures." Some of 



these works are quaint and curious, full of 
learning, piety and prejudice. A well- 
known writer, in summing up the life and 
character of Cotton Mather, says : ' ' Mather, 
with all the faults of his early years, was a 
man of great excellence of character. He 
labored zealously for the benefit of the 
poor, for mariners, slaves, criminals and 
Indians. His cruelty and credulity were 
the faults of his age, while his philanthro- 
phy was far more rare in that age than in 
the present." 

WILLIAM A. PEFFER, who won a 
national reputation during the time 
he was in the United States senate, was 
born on a farm in Cumberland county, 
Pennsylvania, September 10, 1831. He 
drew his education from the public schools 
of his native state and at the age of fifteen 
taught school in winter, working on a farm 
in the Slimmer. In June, 1853, while yet a 
young man, he removed to Indiana, and 
opened up a farm in St. Joseph county. 
In 1859 he made his way to Missouri and 
settled on a farm in Morgan county, but on 
account of the war and the unsettled state 
of the country, he moved to Illinois in Feb- 
ruary, 1862, and enlisted as a private in 
Company F, Eighty-third Illinois Infantry, 
the following August. He was promoted 
to the rank of second lieutenant in 
March, 18*63, an d served successively as 
quartermaster, adjutant, post adjutant, 
judge advocate of a military commission, 
and depot quartermaster in the engineer 
department at Nashville. He was mustered 
out of the service June 26, 1865. He had, 
during his leisure hours while in the army, 
studied law, and in August, 1865, he com- 
menced the practice of that profession at 
Clarksville, Tennessee. He removed to 
Kansas in 1870 and practiced there until 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



165 



1878, in the meantime establishing and 
conducting two newspapers, the " Fredonia 
Journal " and " Coffey ville Journal." 

Mr. Peffer was elected to the state senate 
in 1874 and was a prominent and influential 
member of several important committees. 
He served as a presidential elector in 1880. 
The year following he became editor of the 
" Kansas Farmer," which he made a promi- 
nent and useful paper. In 1890 Mr. Peffer 
was elected to the United States senate as 
a member of the People's party and took 
his seat March 4, 1891. After six years of 
service Senator Peffer was succeeded in 
March, 1897, by William A. Harris. 



ROBERT MORRIS.— The name of this 
financier, statesman and patriot is 
closely connected with the early history of 
the United States. He was a native of 
England, born January 20, 1734, and came 
to America with his father when thirteen 
years old. Until 1754 he served in the 
counting house of Charles Willing, then 
formed a partnership with that gentleman's 
son, which continued with great success until 
1793. In 1776 Mr. Morris was a delegate 
to the Continental congress, and, although 
once voting against the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, signed that paper on its adop- 
tion, and was several times thereafter re- 
elected to congress. During the Revolu- 
tionary war the services of Robert Morris 
in aiding the government during its finan- 
cial difficulties were of incalculable value; he 
freely pledged his personal credit for sup- 
plies for the army, at one time to the amount 
of about one and a half million dollars, with- 
out which the campaign of 1 78 1 would have 
been almost impossible. Mr. Morris was 
appointed superintendent of finance in 1781 
and served until 1784, continuing to employ 
his personal credit to facilitate the needs of 



his department. He also served as mem- 
ber of the Pennsylvania legislature, and 
from 1786 to 1795 was United States sena- 
tor, declining meanwhile the position of sec- 
retary of the treasury, and suggesting the 
name of Alexander Hamilton, who was ap- 
pointed to that post. During the latter 
part of his life Mr. Morris was engaged ex- 
tensively in the China trade, and later be- 
came involved inland speculations, which 
ruined him, so that the remaining days of 
this noble man and patriot were passed 
in confinement for debt. His death occurred 
at Philadelphia, May 8, 1806. 



WILLIAM SHARON, a senator and 
capitalist, and mine owner of na- 
tional reputation, was born at Smithfield, 
Ohio, January 9, 1821. He was reared 
upon a farm and in his boyhood given excel- 
lent educational advantages and in 1842 
entered Athens College. He remained in 
that institution about two years, after which 
he studied law with Edwin M. Stanton, and 
was admitted to the bar at St. Louis and 
commenced practice. His health failing, 
however, he abandoned his profession and 
engaged in mercantile pursuits at Carrollton, 
Greene county, Illinois. During the time 
of the gold excitement of 1849, Mr. Sharon 
went to California, whither so many went, 
and engaged in business at Sacramento. 
The next year he removed to San Francisco, 
where he operated in real estate. Being 
largely interested in its silver mines, he re- 
moved to Nevada, locating at Virginia City, 
and acquired an immense fortune. He be- 
came one of the trustees of the Bank of 
California, and during the troubles that 
arose on the death of William Ralston, the 
president of that institution, was largely in- 
strumental in bringing its affairs into a satis- 
factory shape. 



166 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



Mr. Sharon was elected to represent the 
state of Nevada in the United States senate 
in 1875, and remained a member of that 
body until 1881. He was always distin- 
guished for close application to business. 
Senator Sharon died November 13, 1885. 



HENRY W. SHAW, an American hu- 
morist who became celebrated unde r 
the non-de-plume of " Josh Billings," gained 
his fame from the witticism of his writing, 
and peculiar eccentricity of style and spell- 
ing. He was born at Lanesborough, Mas- 
sachusetts, in 1 8 1 8. For twenty-five years 
he lived in different parts of the western 
states, following various lines of business, 
including farming and auctioneering, and in 
the latter capacity settled at Poughkeepsie, 
New York, in 1858. In 1863 he began 
writing humorous sketches for the news- 
papers over the signature of "Josh Bill- 
ings," and became immediately popular 
both as a writer and lecturer. He pub- 
lished a number of volumes of comic 
sketches and edited an " Annual Allminax " 
for a number of years, which had a wide cir- 
culation. His death occurred October 14, 
1885, at Monterey, California. 



JOHN M. THURSTON, well known 
throughout this country as a senator 
and political leader, was born at Mont- 
pelier, Vermont, August 21, 1847, 0I an 
old Puritan family which dated back their 
ancestry in this country to 1636, and among 
whom were soldiers of the Revolution and 
of the war of 1812-15. 

Young Thurston was brought west by 
the family in 1854, they settling at Madison, 
Wisconsin, and two years later at Beaver 
Dam, where John M. received his schooling 
in the public schools and at Wayland Uni- 
versity. His father enlisted as a private in 



the First Wisconsin Cavalry and died while 
in the service, in the spring of 1863. 

Young Thurston, thrown on his own 
resources while attaining an education, sup- 
ported himself by farm work, driving team 
and at other manual labor. He studied law 
and was admitted to the bar May 21, 1869, 
and in October of the same year located in 
Omaha, Nebraska. He was elected a 
member of the city council in 1872, city 
attorney in 1874 and a member of the Ne- 
braska legislature in 1874. He was a mem- 
ber of the Republican national convention 
of 1884 and temporary chairman of that of 
1888. Taking quite an interest in the 
younger members of his party he was instru- 
mental in forming the Republican League 
of the United States, of which he was presi- 
dent for two years. He was then elected a 
member of the United States senate, in 
1895, to represent the state of Nebraska. 

As an attorney John M. Thurston occu- 
pied a very prominent place, and for a num- 
ber of years held the position of general 
solicitor of the Union Pacific railroad sys- 
tem. 



JOHN JAMES AUDUBON, a celebrated 
American naturalist, was born in Louis- 
iana, May 4, 1780, and was the son of an 
opulent French naval officer who owned a 
plantation in the then French colony. In 
his childhood he became deeply interested 
in the study of birds and their habits. About 
1794 he was sent to Paris, France, where 
he was partially educated, and studied de- 
signing under the famous painter, Jacques 
Louis David. He returned to the Unit- 
ed States about 1798, and settled on a 
farm his father gave him, on the Perkiomen 
creek in eastern Pennsylvania. He mar- 
ried Lucy Bakewell in 1808, and, disposing 
of his property, removed to Louisville, Ken- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



167 



tucky, where he engaged in mercantile pur- 
suits. About two years later he began to 
make extensive excursions through the pri- 
meval forests of the southern and south- 
western states, in the exploration of which 
he passed many years. He made colored 
drawings of all the species of birds that he 
found. For several years he made his home 
with his wife and children at Henderson, on 
the Ohio river. It is said that about this 
time he had failed in business and was re- 
duced to poverty, but kept the wolf from the 
door by giving dancing lessons and in portrait 
painting. In 1824, at Philadelphia, he met 
Charles Lucien Bonaparte, who encouraged 
him to publish a work on ornithology. Two 
years later he went to England and com- 
menced the publication of his great work, 
"The Birds of America." He obtained a 
large number of subscribers at one thousand 
dollars a copy. This work, embracing five 
volumes of letterpress and five volumes of 
beautifully colored plates, was pronounced 
by Cuvier " the most magnificent monument 
that art ever raised to ornithology." 

Audubon returned to America in 1829, 
and explored the forests, lakes and coast 
from Canada to Florida, collecting material 
for another work. This was his " Ornitho- 
logical Biography; or, An Account of the 
Habits of the Birds of the United States, 
Etc." He revisited England in 1831, and 
returned in 1839, after which he resided on 
the Hudson, near New York City, in which 
place he died January 27, 1851. During 
his life he issued a cheaper edition of his 
great work, and was, in association with 
Dr. Bachman, preparing a work on the 
quadrupeds of North America. 



the superior British squadron, under Com- 
modore Downie, September 1 1, 18 14. Com- 
modore McDonough was born in Newcastle 
county, Delaware, December 23, 1783, and 
when seventeen years old entered the 
United States navy as midshipman, serving 
in the expedition to Tripoli, under Decatur, 
in 1803-4. In 1807 he was promoted to 
lieutenant, and in July, 181 3, was made a 
commander. The following year, on Lake 
Champlain, he gained the celebrated victory 
above referred to, for which he was again 
promoted; also received a gold medal from 
congress, and from the state of Vermont an 
estate on Cumberland Head, in view of the 
scene of the engagement. His death oc- 
curred at sea, November 16, 1825, while he 
was returning from the command of the 
Mediterranean squadron. 



COMMODORE THOMAS McDON- 
OUGH gained his principal fame from 
he celebrated victory which he gained over 



CHARLES FRANCIS HALL, one of 
America's most celebrated arctic ex- 
plorers, was born in Rochester, New Hamp- 
shire, in 182 1. He was a blacksmith by 
trade, and located in Cincinnati, where later 
he became a journalist. For several years 
he devoted a great deal of attention to cal- 
orics. Becoming interested in the fate of the 
explorer, Sir John Franklin, he joined the 
expedition fitted out by Henry Grinnell and 
sailed in the ship "George Henry," under 
Captain Buddington, which left New Lon- 
don, Connecticut, in i860. He returned in 
1862, and two years later published his 
" Arctic Researches." He again joined the 
expedition fitted out by Mr. Grinnell, and 
sailed in the ship, " Monticello," under 
Captain Buddington, this time remaining in 
the arctic region over four years. On his 
return he brought back many evidences of 
having found trace of Franklin. 

In 1 S7 1 the ' ' Polaris " was fitted out by 
the United States government, and Captain 



168 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



Hall again sailed for the polar regions. He 
died in Greenland in October, 1S71, and the 
"Polaris" was finally abandoned by the 
crew, a portion of which, under Captain 
Tyson, drifted with the icebergs for one 
hundred and ninety-five days, until picked 
up by the " Tigress," on the 30th of April, 
1873. The other portion of the crew built 
boats, and, after a perilous voyage, were 
picked up in June, 1873, by a whaling vessel. 



OLIVER ELLSWORTH, the third chief 
justice of the United States, was born 
at Windsor, Connecticut, April 29, 1745. 
After graduating from Princeton, he took 
up the study of law, and was licensed 
to practice in 177 1. In 1777 he was elected 
as a delegate to the Continental congress. 
He was judge of the superior court of his 
state in 1784, and was chosen as a delegate 
to the constitutional convention in 1787. 
He sided with the Federalists, was elected 
to the United States senate in 1789, and 
was a firm supporter of Washington's policy. 
He won great distinction in that body, and 
was appointed chief justice of the supreme 
court of the United States by Washington 
in 1796. The relations between this coun- 
try and France having become violently 
strained, he was sent to Paris as envoy ex- 
traordinary in 1799, and was instrumental 
in negotiating the treaty that averted war. 
He resigned the following year, and was suc- 
ceeded by Chief Justice Marshall. His 
death occurred November 26, 1807. 



MELLVILLE WESTON FULLER, an 
eminent American jurist and chief 
justice of the United States supreme court, 
was born in Augusta, Maine, in 1833. His 
education was looked after in boyhood, and 
at the age of sixteen he entered Bowdoin 
College, and on graduation entered the law 



department of Harvard University. He then 
entered the law office of his uncle at Ban- 
gor, Maine, and soon after opened an office 
for the practice of law at Augusta. He was 
an alderman from his ward, city attorney, 
and editor of the " Age," a rival newspaper 
of the "Journal," which was conducted by 
James G. Blaine. He soon decided to re- 
move to Chicago, then springing into notice 
as a western metropolis. He at once iden- 
tified himself with the interests of the 
new city, and by this means acquired an 
experience that fitted him for his future 
work. He devoted himself assiduously to 
his profession, and had the good fortune to 
connect himself with the many suits grow- 
ing out of the prorogation of the Illinois 
legislature in 1863. It was not long before 
he became one of the foremost lawyers in 
Chicago. He made a three days' speech in 
the heresy trial of Dr. Cheney, which added 
to his fame. He was appointed chief jus- 
tice of the United States by President Cleve- 
land in 1888, the youngest man who ever 
held that exalted position. His income from 
his practice had for many years reached 
thirty thousand dollars annually. 



CHESTER ALLEN ARTHUR, twenty- 
first president of the United States, was 
born in Franklin county, Vermont, Octo- 
ber 5, 1830. He was educated at Union 
College, Schenectady, New York, from 
which he graduated with honor, and en- 
gaged in teaching school. After two years 
he entered the law office of Judge E. D. 
Culver, of New York, as a student. He was 
admitted to the bar, and formed a partner- 
ship with an old room-mate, Henry D. Gar- 
diner, with the intention of practicing law 
in the west, but after a few months' search 
for a location, they returned to New York 
and opened an office, and at once entered 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



109 



upon a profitable practice. He was shortly 
afterwards married to a daughter of Lieu- 
tenant Herndon, of the United States navy. 
Mrs. Arthur died shortly before his nomina- 
tion for the vice-presidency. In 1856 a 
colored woman in New York was ejected 
from a street car and retained Mr. Arthur 
in a suit against the company, and obtained 
a verdict of five hundred dollars. It result- 
ed in a general order by all superintendents 
of street railways in the city to admit col- 
ored people to the cars. 

Mr. Arthur was a delegate to the first 
Republican national convention, and was 
appointed judge-advocate for the Second 
Brigade of New York, and then chief engi- 
neer of Governor Morgan's staff. At the 
close of his term he resumed the practice of 
iaw in New York. In 1872 he was made 
collector of the port of New York, which 
position he held four years. At the Chi- 
cago convention in 1880 Mr. Arthur was 
nominated for the vice-presidency with 
Garfield, and after an exciting campaign 
was elected. Four months after the inau- 
guration President Garfield was assassinated, 
and Mr. Arthur was called to take the reins 
of government. His administration of 
affairs was generally satisfactory. At its 
close he resumed the practice of law in New 
York. His death occurred November 18, 
1886. 

ISAAC HULL was one of the most con- 
spicuous and prominent naval officers in 
the early history of America. He was born 
at Derby, Connecticut, March 9, 1775, be- 
ing the son of a Revolutionary officer. Isaac 
Hull early in life became a mariner, and 
when nineteen years of age became master 
of a merchant ship in the London trade. 
In 1 798 he became a lieutenant in the United 
States navy, and three years later was made 

10 



first lieutenant of the frigate "Constitution." 
He distinguished himself by skill and valor 
against the French on the coast of Hayti, and 
served with distinction in the Barbary expe- 
ditions. July 12, 1812, he sailed from 
Annapolis, in command of the "Constitu- 
tion, " and for three days was pursued by a 
British squadron of five ships, from which 
he escaped by bold and ingenious seaman- 
ship. In August of the same year he cap- 
tured the frigate " Guerriere," one of his 
late pursuers and for this, the first naval 
advantage of that war, he received a gold 
medal from congress. Isaac Hull was later 
made naval commissioner and had command 
of various navy yards. His death occurred 
February 13, 1843, at Philadelphia. 



M' 



ARCUS ALONZO HANNA, famous 
as a prominent business man, political 
manager and senator, was born in New Lis- 
bon, Columbiana county, Ohio, September 
24, 1837. He removed with his father's 
family to Cleveland, in the same state, in 
1852, and in the latter city, and in the 
Western Reserve College, at Hudson, Ohio, 
received his education. He became an em- 
ploye of the wholesale grocery house of 
Hanna, Garrettson & Co., his father being 
the senior member of the firm. The latter 
died in 1862, and Marcus represented his 
interest until 1867, when the business was 
closed up. 

Our subject then became a member of 
the firm of Rhodes & Co., engaged in the 
iron and coal business, but at the expira- 
tion of ten years this firm was changed to 
that of M. A. Hanna & Co. Mr. Hanna 
was long identified with the lake carrying 
business,- being interested in vessels on the 
lakes and in the construction of them. As 
a director of the Globe Ship Manufacturing 
Company, of Cleveland, president of the 



170 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



Union National Bank, of Cleveland, president 
of the Cleveland City Railway Company, 
and president of the Chapin Mining Com- 
pany, of Lake Superior, he became promi- 
nently identified with the business world. 
He was one of the government directors of 
the Union Pacific Railroad, being appointed 
to that position in 1885 by President Cleve- 
land. 

Mr. Hanna was a delegate to the na- 
tional Republican convention of 1884, which 
was his first appearance in the political 
world. He was a delegate to the con- 
ventions of 1888 and 1896, and was elect- 
ed chairman of the Republican national 
committee the latter year, and practically 
managed the campaign of William McKin- 
ley for the presidency. In 1897 Mr. Hanna 
was appointed senator by Governor Bush- 
nell, of Ohio, to fill the vacancy caused by 
the resignation of John Sherman. 



GEORGE PEABODY was one of the 
best known and esteemed of ail philan- 
thropists, whose munificent gifts to Ameri- 
can institutions have proven of so much 
benefit to the cause of humanity. He was 
born February 18, 1795, at South Danvers, 
Massachusetts, which is now called Pea- 
body in honor of him. He received but a 
meager education, and during his early life 
he was a mercantile clerk at Thetford, Ver- 
mont, and Newburyport, Massachusetts. In 
1 8 14 he became a partner with Elisha 
Riggs, at Georgetown, District of Columbia, 
and in 181 5 they moved to Baltimore, Mary- 
Ian i. The business grew to great propor- 
tions, and they opened branch houses at 
New York and Philadelphia. Mr. Peabody 
made several voyages to Europe of com- 
mercial importance, and in 1829 became the 
head of the firm, which was then called 
Peabody, Riggs & Co., and in 1838 he re- 



moved to London, England. He retired 
from the firm, and established the cele- 
brated banking house, in which he accumu- 
lated a large fortune. He aided Mr. Grin- 
nell in fitting out Dr. Kane's Arctic expedi- 
tion, in 1852, and founded in the same year 
the Peabody Institute, in his native town, 
which he afterwards endowed with two hun- 
dred thousand dollars. Mr. Peabody visited 
the United States in 1857, and gave three 
hundred thousand dollars for the establish- 
ment at Baltimore of an institute of science, 
literature and fine arts. In 1862 he gave 
two million five hundred thousand dollars 
for the erecting of lodging houses for the 
poor in London, and on another visit to the 
United States he gave one hundred and fifty 
thousand dollars to establish at Harvard a 
museum and professorship of American 
archaeology and ethnology, an equal sum for 
the endowment of a department of physical 
science at Yale, and gave the "Southern 
Educational Fund" two million one hundred 
thousand dollars, besides devoting two hun- 
dred thousand dollars to various objects of 
public utility. Mr. Peabody made a final 
visit to the United States in 1869, and on 
this occasion he raised the endowment of 
the Baltimore Institute one million dollars, 
created the Peabody Museum, at Salem, 
Massachusetts, with a fund of one hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars, gave sixty thou- 
sand dollars to Washington College, Vir- 
ginia; fifty thousand dollars for a "Peabody 
Museum, " at North Danvers, thirty thousand 
dollars to Phillips Academy, Andover; twen- 
ty-five thousand dollars to Kenyon College, 
Ohio, and twenty thousand dollars to the 
Maryland Historical Society. Mr. Peabody 
also endowed an art school at Rome, in 

1868. He died in London, November 4, 

1869, less then a month after he had re- 
turned from the United States, and his 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPlir. 



171 



remains were brought to the United States 
and interred in his native town. He made 
several other bequests in his will, and left 
his family about five million dollars. 



MATTHEW S. QUAY, a celebrated 
public man and senator, was born at 
Dillsburgh, York county, Pennsylvania, 
September 30, 1833, of an old Scotch-Irish 
family, some of whom had settled in the 
Keystone state in 171 5. Matthew received 
a good education, graduating from the Jef- 
ferson College at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, 
at the age of seventeen. He then traveled, 
taught school, lectured, and studied law 
under Judge Sterrett. He was admitted to 
the bar in 1854, was appointed a prothon- 
otary in 1855 and elected to the same 
office in 1856 and 1859. Later he was 
made lieutenant of the Pennsylvania Re 
serves, lieutenant-colonel and assistant com- 
missary-general of the state, private secre- 
tary of the famous war governor of Pennsyl- 
vania, Andrew G. Curtin, colonel of the 
One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Pennsylva- 
nia Infantry (nine months men), military 
state agent and held other offices at different 
times. 

Mr. Quay was a member of the house of 
representatives of the state of Pennsylvania 
from 1865 to 1868. He filled the office of 
secretary of the commonwealth from 1872 
to 1878, and the position of delegate-at- 
large to the Republican national conventions 
of 1872, 1876, 1880 and 1888. Hewasthe 
editor of the "Beaver Radical" and the 
"Philadelphia Record" for a time, and held 
many offices in the state conventions and on 
their committees. He was elected secre- 
tary of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 
1869, and served three years, and in 1885 
was chosen state treasurer. In 1886 his 
great abilities pointed him out as the 



natural candidate for United States senator, 
and he was accordingly elected to that posi- 
tion and re-elected thereto in 1892. He 
was always noted for a genius for organiza- 
tion, and as a political leader had but few 
peers. Cool, serene, far-seeing, resourceful, 
holding his impulses and forces in hand, he 
never quailed from any policy he adopted, 
and carried to success most, if not all, of 
the political campaigns in which he took 
part. 

JAMES K. JONES, a noted senator and 
political leader, attained national fame 
while chairman of the national executive 
committee of the Democratic party in the 
presidential campaign of 1896. He was a 
native of Marshall county, Mississippi, and 
was born September 29, 1839. His father, 
a well-to-do planter, settled in Dallas county, 
Arkansas, in 1848, and there the subject of 
this sketch received a careful education. 
During the Civil war he served as a private 
soldier in the Confederate army. From 
1866 to 1873 he passed a quiet life as a 
planter, but in the latter year was admitted 
to the bar and began the practice of law. 
About the same time he was elected to the 
Arkansas senate and re-elected in 1874. In 
1877 he was made president of the senate 
and the following year was unsuccessful in 
obtaining a nomination as member of con- 
gress. In 1880 he was elected representa- 
tive and his ability at once placed him in a 
foremost position. He was re-elected to 
congress in 1882 and in 1884, and served as 
an influential member on the committee of 
ways and means. March 4, 1885, Mr. Jones 
took his seat in the United States senate to 
succeed James D. Walker, and was after- 
ward re-elected to the same office. In this 
branch of the national legislature his capa- 
bilities had a wider scope, and. he was rec- 



172 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



ognized as one of the ablest leaders of his 
party. 

On the nomination of William J. Bryan 
as its candidate for the presidency by the 
national convention of the Democratic 
party, held in Chicago in 1896, Mr. Jones 
was made chairman of the national com- 
mittee. 

THEODORE THOMAS, one of the most 
celebrated musical directors America 
has known, was born in the kingdom of Han- 
over in 1835, and received his musical educa- 
tion from his father. He was a very apt scholar 
and played the violin at public concerts at 
the age of six years. He came with his 
parents to America in 1845, and joined the 
orchestra of the Italian Opera in New York 
City. He played the first violin in the 
orchestra which accompanied Jenny Lind 
in her first American concert. In 1861 Mr. 
Thomas established the orchestra that be- 
came famous under his management, and 
gave his first symphony concerts in New 
York in 1864. He began his first "summer 
night concerts" in the same city in 1868, 
and in 1869 he started on his first tour of 
the principal cities in the United States, 
which he made every year for many years. 
He was director of the College of Music in 
Cincinnati, Ohio, but resigned in 1880, after 
having held the position for three years. 

Later he organized one of the greatest 
and most successful orchestras ever brought 
together in the city of Chicago, and was 
very prominent in musical affairs during the 
World's Columbian Exposition, thereby add- 
ing greatly to his fame. 



CYRUS HALL McCORMICK, the fa- 
mous inventor and manufacturer, was 
born at Walnut Grove, Virginia, February 
15, 1809. When he was seven years old his 



father invented a reaping machine. It was 
a rude contrivance and not successful. In 
1 83 1 Cyrus made his invention of a reaping 
machine, and had it patented three years 
later. By successive improvements he was 
able to keep his machines at the head of 
its class during his life. In 1 845 he removed 
to Cincinnati, Ohio, and two years later 
located in Chicago, where he amassed a 
great fortune in manufacturing reapers and 
harvesting machinery. In 1859 he estab- 
lished the Theological Seminary of the 
Northwest at Chicago, an institution for pre- 
paring young men for the ministry in the 
Presbyterian church, and he afterward en- 
dowed a chair in the Washington and Lee 
College at Lexington, Virginia. He mani- 
fested great interest in educational and re- 
ligious matters, and by his great wealth he 
was able to extend aid and encouragement 
to many charitable causes. His death oc- 
curred May 13, 1884. 



DAVID ROSS LOCKE.— Under the 
pen name of Petroleum V. Nasby, this 
well-known humorist and writer made for 
himself a household reputation, and estab- 
lished a school that has many imitators. 

The subject of this article was born at 
Vestal, Broome county, New York, Sep- 
tember 30, 1833. After receiving his edu- 
cation in the county of his birth he en- 
tered the office of the " Democrat," at Cort- 
land, New York, where he learned the 
printer's trade. He was successively editor 
and publisher of the ' 'Plymouth Advertiser, " 
the "Mansfield Herald," the " Bucyrus 
Journal," and the "Findlay Jeffersonian." 
Later he became editor of the "Toledo 
Blade." In i860 he commenced his 
" Nasby" articles, several series of which 
have been given the world in book form. 
Under a mask of misspelling, and in a quaint 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



173 



and humorous style, a keen political satire 
is couched — a most effective weapon. 
Mr. Locke was the author of a num- 
ber of serious political pamphlets, and 
later on a more pretentious work, " The 
Morals of Abou Ben Adhem." As a news- 
paper writer he gained many laurels and his 
works are widely read. Abraham Lincoln 
is said to have been a warm admirer of P. 
V. Nasby, of " Confedrit X Roads" fame. 
Mr. Locke died at Toledo, Ohio, February 
15, 1888. 

RUSSELL A. ALGER, noted as a sol- 
dier, governor and secretary of war, 
was born in Medina county, Ohio, February 
27, 1836, and was the son of Russell and 
Caroline (Moulton) Alger. At the age of 
twelve years he was left an orphan and pen- 
niless. For about a year he worked for 
his board and clothing, and attended school 
part of the time. In 1850 he found a place 
which paid small wages, and out of his 
scanty earnings helped his brother and sister. 
While there working on a farm he found 
time to attend the Richfield Academy, and 
by hard work between times managed to get 
a fair education for that time. The last 
two years of his attendance at this institu- 
tion of learning he taught school during the 
winter months. In 1857 he commenced the 
study of law, and was admitted to the bar 
in 1859. For a while he found employ- 
ment in Cleveland, Ohio, but impaired 
health induced him to remove to Grand 
Rapids,, where he engaged in the lumber 
business. He was thus engaged when the 
Civil war broke out, and, his business suf- 
fering and his savings swept away, he en- 
listed as a private in the Second Michigan 
Cavalry. He was promoted to be captain 
the following month, and major for gallant 
conduct at Boonesville, Mississippi, July 1, 



1862. October 16, 1862, he was made 
lieutenant-colonel of the Sixth Michigan 
Cavalry, and in February, 1863, colonel of 
the Fifth Michigan Cavalry. He rendered 
excellent service in the Gettysburg cam- 
paign. He was wounded at Boonesboro, 
Maryland, and on returning to his command 
took part with Sherman in the campaign in 
the Shenandoah Valley. For services ren- 
dered, that famous soldier recommended 
him for promotion, and he was brevetted 
major-general of volunteers. In 1866 Gen- 
eral Alger took up his residence at Detroit, 
and prospered exceedingly in his business, 
which was that of lumbering, and grew 
quite wealthy. In 1884 he was a delegate 
to the Republican national convention, and 
the same year was elected governor of 
Michigan. He declined a nomination for 
re-election to the latter office, in 1887, and 
was the following year a candidate for the 
nomination for president. In 1889 he was 
elected commander-in-chief of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, and at different 
times occupied many offices in other or- 
ganizations. 

In March, 1897, President McKinley 
appointed General Alger secretary of war. 



CYRUS WEST FIELD, the father of 
submarine telegraphy, was the son of 
the Rev. David D. Field, D.D., a Congre- 
gational minister, and was born at Stock- 
bridge, Massachusetts, November 30, 18 19. 
He was educated in his native town, and at 
the age of fifteen years became a clerk in a 
store in New York City. Being gifted with 
excellent business ability Mr. Field pros- 
pered and became the head of a large mer- 
cantile house. In 1853 he spent about six 
months in travel in South America. On his 
return he became interested in ocean teleg- 
raphy. Being solicited to aid in the con- 



174 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



struction of a land telegraph across New 
Foundland to receive the news from a line 
of fast steamers it was proposed to run from 
from Ireland to St. Johns, the idea struck 
him to carry the line across the broad At- 
lantic. In 1850 Mr. Field obtained aeon- 
cession from the legislature of Newfound- 
land, giving him the sole right for fifty years 
to land submarine cables on the shores of 
that island. In company with Peter Cooper, 
Moses Taylor, Marshall O. Roberts and 
Chandler White, he organized a company 
under the name of the New York, New- 
foundland & London Telegraph Company. 
In two years the line from New York across 
Newfoundland was built. The first cable 
connecting- Cape Breton Island with New- 
foundland having been lost in a storm while 
being laid in 1855, another was put down in 
1856. In the latter year Mr. Field went to 
London and organized the Atlantic Tele- 
graph Company, furnishing one-fourth of the 
capital himself. Both governments loaned 
ships to carry out the enterprise. Mr. Field 
accompanied the expeditions of 1857 and 
two in 1858. The first and second cables 
we're failures, and the third worked but a 
short time and then ceased. The people of 
both continents became incredulous of the 
feasibility of laying a successful cable under 
so wide an expanse of sea, and the war 
breaking out shortly after, nothing was done 
until 1865-66. Mr. Field, in the former 
year, again made the attempt, and the Great 
Eastern laid some one thousand two hun- 
dred miles when the cable parted and was 
lost. The following year the same vessel 
succeeded in laying the entire cable, and 
picked up the one lost the year before, and 
both were carried to America's shore. After 
thirteen years of care and toil Mr. Field had 
his reward. He was the recipient of many 
medals and honors from both home and 



abroad. He gave his attention after this 
to establishing telegraphic communication 
throughout the world and many other large 
enterprises, notably the construction of ele- 
vated railroads in New York. Mr. Field 
died July 1 1, 1892. 



G ROVER CLEVELAND, the twenty- 
second president of the United States, 
was born in Caldwell, Essex county, New 
Jersey, March 18, 1837, and was the son 
of Rev. Richard and Annie (Neale) Cleve- 
land. The father, of distinguished New 
England ancestry, was a Presbyterian min- 
ister in charge of the church at Caldwell at 
the time. 

When Grover was about three years of 
age the family removed to Fayetteville, 
Onondaga county, New York, where he 
attended the district school, and was in the 
academy for a short time. His father be- 
lieving that boys should early learn to labor, 
Grover entered a village store and worked 
for the sum of fifty dollars for the first year. 
While he was thus engaged the family re- 
moved to Clinton, New York, and there 
young Cleveland took up h ; s studies at the 
academy. The death of his father dashed 
all his hopes of a collegiate education, the 
family being left in straightened circum- 
stances, and Grover started out to battle 
for himself. After acting for a year (1853- 
54) as assistant teacher and bookkeeper in 
the Institution for the Blind at New York 
City, he went to Buffalo. A short time 
after he entered the law office of Rogers, 
Bowen & Rogers, of that city, and after a 
hard struggle with adverse circumstances, 
was admitted to the bar in 1859. He be- 
came confidential and managing clerk for 
the firm under whom he had studied, and 
remained with them until 1863. In the lat- 
ter year he was appointed district attorney 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



175 



of Erie county. It was during his incum- 
bency of this office that, on being nominated 
by the Democrats for supervisor, he came 
within thirteen votes of election, although 
the district was usually Republican by two 
hundred and fifty majority. In i866Grover 
Cleveland formed a partnership with Isaac 
V. Vanderpoel. The most of the work here 
fell upon the shoulders of our subject, and 
he soon won a good standing at the bar of 
the state. In 1869 Mr. Cleveland associated 
himself in business with A. P. Laning and 
Oscar Folsom, and under the firm name of 
Laning, Cleveland & Folsom soon built up a 
fair practice. In the fall of 1870 Mr. Cleve- 
land was elected sheriff of Erie county, an 
office which he filled for four years, after 
which he resumed his profession, with L. K. 
Bass and Wilson S. Bissell as partners. 
This firm was strong and popular and 
shortly was in possession of a lucrative 
practice. Mr. Bass retired from the firm 
in 1879, and George J. Secard was admit- 
ted a member in 188 1. In the latter year 
Mr. Cleveland was elected mayor of Buffalo, 
and in 1882 he was chosen governor by 
the enormous majority of one hundred and 
ninety-two thousand votes. July 11, 1884, 
he was nominated for the presidency by the 
Democratic national convention, and in 
November following was elected. 

Mr. Cleveland, after serving one term as 
president of the United States, in 1888 was 
nominated by his party to succeed himself, 
but he failed of the election, being beaten 
by Benjamin Harrison. In 1892, however, 
being nominated again in opposition to the 
then incumbent of the presidency, Mr. Har- 
rison, Grover Cleveland was elected pres- 
ident for the second time and served for the 
usual term of four years. In 1897 Mr. 
Cleveland retired from the chair of the first 
magistrate of the nation, and in New York 



City resumed the practice of law, in which 
city he had established himself in 1889. 

June 2, 1886, Grover Cleveland was 
united in marriage with Miss Frances Fol- 
som, the daughter of his former partner. 



ALEXANDER WINCHELL, for many 
years one of the greatest of American 
scientists, and one of the most noted and 
prolific writers on scientific subjects, was 
born in Duchess county, New York, Decem- 
ber 31, 1824. He received a thorough col- 
legiate education, and graduated at the 
Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connect- 
icut, in 1847. His mind took a scientific 
turn, which manifested itself while he was 
yet a boy, and in 1848 he became teacher 
of natural sciences at the Armenian Semi- 
nary, in his native state, a position which 
he filled for three years. In 1851-3 he oc- 
cupied the same position in the Mesopo- 
tamia Female Seminary, in Alabama, after 
which he was president of the Masonic Fe- 
male Seminary, in Alabama. In 1853 he 
became connected with the University of 
Michigan, at Ann Arbor, at which institu- 
tion he performed the most important work 
of his life, and gained a wide reputation as 
a scientist. He held many important posi- 
tions, among which were the following: 
Professor of physics and civil engineering at 
the University of Michigan, also of geology, 
zoology and botany, and later professor of 
geology and palaeontology at the same insti- 
tution. He also, for a time, was president 
of the Michigan Teachers' Association, and 
state geologist of Michigan. Professor 
Winchell was a very prolific writer on scien- 
tific subjects, and published many standard 
works, his most important and widely known 
being those devoted to geology. He also 
contributed a large number of articles tG 
scientific and popular journals. 



176 



COMPENDIUM OF B10GRAPHT. 



ANDREW HULL FOOTE, of the 
United States navy, was a native of 
New England, born at New Haven, Con- 
necticut, May 4, 1808. He entered the 
navy, as a midshipman, December 4, 1822. 
He slowly rose in his chosen profession, at- 
taining the rank of lieutenant in 1830, com- 
mander in 1852 and captain in 1861. 
Among the distinguished men in the break- 
ing out of the Civil war, but few stood higher 
in the estimation of his brother officers than 
Foote, and when, in the fall of 1861, he 
was appointed to the command of the flotilla 
then building on the Mississippi, the act 
gave great satisfaction to the service. 
Although embarrassed by want of navy 
yards and supplies, Foote threw himself into 
his new work with unusual energy. He 
overcame all obstacles and in the new, and, 
until that time, untried experiment, of creat- 
ing and maintaining a navy on a river, 
achieved a success beyond the expectations 
of the country. Great incredulity existed as 
to the possibility of carrying on hostilities 
on a river where batteries from the shore 
might bar the passage. But in spite of all, 
Foote soon had a navy on the great river, 
and by the heroic qualities of the crews en- 
trusted to him, demonstrated the utility of 
this new departure in naval architecture. 
All being prepared, February 6, 1862, Foote 
took Fort Henry after a hotly-contested 
action. On the 14th of the same month, 
for an hour and a half engaged the batteries 
of Fort Donelson, with four ironclads and 
two wooden gunboats, thereby dishearten- 
ing the garrison and assisting in its capture. 
April 7th of the same year, after several 
hotly-contested actions, Commodore Foote 
received the surrender of Island No. 10, one 
of the great strongholds of the Confederacy 
on the Mississippi river. Foote having been 
wounded at Fort Donelson, and by neglect 



it having become so serious as to endanger 
his life, he was forced to resign his command 
and return home. June 16, 1862, he re- 
ceived the thanks of congress and was pro- 
moted to the rank of rear admiral. He was 
appointed chief of the bureau of equipment 
and recruiting. June 4, 1863, he was 
ordered to the fleet off Charleston, to super- 
cede Rear Admiral Dupont, but on his way 
to that destination was taken sick at New 
York, and died June 26, 1863. 



NELSON A.MILES, the well-known sol- 
dier, was born at Westminster, Massa- 
chusetts, August 8, 1 839. His ancestors set- 
tled in that state in 1643 among the early 
pioneers, and their descendants were, many 
of them, to be found among those battling 
against Great Britain during Revolutionary 
times and during the war of 1812. Nelson 
was reared on a farm, received an academic 
education, and in early manhood engaged in 
mercantile pursuits in Boston. Early in 

1 86 1 he raised a company and offered hi? 
services to the government, and although 
commissioned as captain, on account of his 
youth went out as first lieutenant in the 
Twenty-second Massachusetts Infantry. In 

1 862 he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel 
and colonel of the Sixty-first New York In- 
fantry. At the request of Generals Grant 
and Meade he was made a brigadier by 
President Lincoln. He participated in all 
but one of the battles of the Army of the 
Potomac until the close of the war. During 
the latter part of the time he commanded 
the first division of the Second Corps. 
General Miles was wounded at the battles 
of Fair Oaks, Fredericksburg and Chan- 
cellorsville, and received four brevets for 
distinguished service. During the recon- 
struction period he commanded in North 
Carolina, and on the reorganization of the 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAl'IIY. 



177 



regular army he was made colonel of in- 
fantry. In 1880 he was promoted to the 
rank of brigadier-general, and in 1890 to 
that of major-general. He successfully con- 
ducted several campaigns among the In- 
dians, and his name is known among the 
tribes as a friend when they are peacefully 
inclined. He many times averted war 
with the red men by judicious and humane 
settlement of difficulties without the military 
power. In 1892 General Miles was given 
command of the proceedings in dedicating 
the World's Fair at Chicago, and in the 
summer of 1894, during the great railroad 
strike at the same city, General Miles, then 
in command of the department, had the 
disposal of the troops sent to protect the 
United States mails. On the retirement of 
General J. M. Schofield, in 1895, General 
Miles became the ranking major-general of 
the United States army and the head of its 
forces. 

JUNIUS BRUTUS BOOTH, the great 
<J actor, though born in London (1796), is 
more intimately connected with the Amer- 
ican than with the English stage, and his 
popularity in America was almost un- 
bounded, while in England he was not a 
prime favorite. He presented " Richard III. " 
in Richmond on his first appearance on the 
American stage in 1821. This was • his 
greatest role, and in it he has never had an 
equal. In October of the same year he 
appeared in New York. After a long and 
successful career he gave his final perform- 
ance at New Orleans in 1852. He con- 
tracted a severe cold, and for lack of proper 
medical attention, it resulted in his death 
on Norember 30th of that year. He was, 
without question, one of the greatest tra- 
gedians that ever lived. In addition to his 
professional art and genius, he was skilled 



in languages, drawing, painting and sculp- 
ture. In his private life he was reserved, 
and even eccentric. Strange stories are 
related of his peculiarities, and on his farm 
near Baltimore he forbade the use of animal 
food, the taking of animal life, and even the 
felling of trees, and brought his butter and 
eggs to the Baltimore markets in person. 

Junius Brutus Booth, known as the elder 
Booth, gave to the world three sons of note: 
Junius Brutus Booth, Jr., the husband of 
Agnes Booth, the actress; John Wilkes 
Booth, the author of the greatest tragedy 
in the life of our nation; Edwin Booth, in 
his day the greatest actor of America, if not 
of the world. 

TAMES MONTGOMERY BAILEY, fa- 
<J mous as the "Danbury News Man," 
was one of the best known American humor- 
ists, and was born September 25, 1841, at 
Albany, N. Y. He adopted journalism as a 
profession and started in his chosen work on 
the "Danbury Times," which paper he pur- 
chased on his return from the war. Mr. 
Bailey also purchased the "Jeffersonian," 
another paper of Danbury, and consolidated 
them, forming the "Danbury News," which 
paper soon acquired a celebrity throughout 
the United States, from an incessant flow of 
rich, healthy, and original humor, which the 
pen of the editor imparted to its columns, 
and he succeeded in raising the circulation 
of the paper from a few hundred copies a 
week to over forty thousand. The facilities 
of a country printing office were not so com- 
plete in those days as they are now, but Mr. 
Bailey was resourceful, and he put on re- 
lays of help and ran his presses night and 
day, and always prepared his matter a week 
ahead of time. The "Danbury News Man" 
was a new figure in literature, as his humor 
was so different from that of the newspaper 



ITS 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



wits who had preceded him, and he maybe 
called the pi< mei c i ii thai si hool now bo 
familiar, Mr, Bailey published in book 
lin in ■ 'l .iff in I (anbury" and "The I )anbury 
News Man's Almanai " One "l his most 
admirable traits was philanthrophy, as he 
:;.i\ e with mi, i inted generosity to all comers, 
and died comparatively pooi . notvi ithstand 
ing In ■ i >\i nership ol a vet) pn ifitable busi 
ness which netted him an income of $.|0,ooo 
.1 yeai , I te died March i, i 894, 

M\ \\ II \l l CARPEN I l R, a 
I. mi ■ lawyer, oratoi and senator, 

was born in Moretown, Vermont, December 

22, 1 8 ■ 1 AH' i rei eiving a common si l I 

. dm at ion he entered the United States 
Military A< ademj al Wesl Point, but only 
remained two years, On returning to his 
home he commenced the study of law with 
Paul Dillingham, afterwards governoi of 
Vermont, and whose daughter he married, 
In 1 84; he was admitted to prai tice at the 
bar in Vermont, but he went to Boston and 
to] a time studied with Ruf us Choate. In 1848 
he moved west, settling al Beloit, Wisconsin, 
and commencing the practice ol his profes 
m ""ii obtained a wide reputation for 
ability. In 1856 Mr. Carpenter removed to 
Milwaukee, where he found a wider held for 
his now increasing powers. During the 
Civil war, although a strong Democrat, he 
w as loyal to the go\ ei nment and aided the 
Union cause to his utmost. In [868 he 
was 1 ounsel foi the government in a te it 
case to settle the legalit} ol the ret onsti ui 
tion act before the United States sup 
court, and won lus i'.isc against Jeremiah S. 
I'.l.n k, This gave him the election for sen- 
ate] from Wisconsin in 1 869, and he served 
until iS;s, during part ol which time he was 
president pro tempore of the senate. Failing 
01 .1 re ele< tion Mi Cai penter resumed the 



practice ol law, and when William W. 

Belknap, late secretary of war, was im- 
peached, entered the 1 ase fi ir I ienei al 
Belknap, and secured anacquittal. During 
the sitting ol the electoral commission of 
1S77, Mr. Carpenter appeared for Samuel 
J. Tilden, although the Republican man- 
agers had intended to have him repre lent 
\\. I'.. Hayes. Mr. Carpenter was elected 
ti 1 the l ' 1 1 1 1 < < I States senate again in 1 879, 
and remained a member of that body until 
the day of his death, which occurred at 
\ \ . 1 1 1 1 1 1 v 1 . 1 1 1 , District of Columbia, Feb- 
ruary ' |. 1 NX 1 . 

Senator Carpenter's real name was De- 
catui Mi 1 1 1 1 1 Hammond Carpenter but about 
[852 he changed it to the one by which he 
was universally known. 



THOMAS E. WATSON, lawyer and 
congressman, the well-known Geor- 
gian, whose name appears al the he. id ol 
this sketch, made himself a place in the liis- 

i"i\ of our country by his ability, energy 
and fei \ id oratory, He w as born in Col- 
umbia mow McDuffie) county, Georgia, 
September 5, [856. He had a common- 
school education, and in [87 • entered Mer- 
cer University, at Macon, Georgia, as fresh- 
man, but for want of money left the college 

,1! the end of his sophomore year. He 
taught school, studying law at the same 

time, until 1S75, when he was admitted to 
the bar. lie opened an office and com- 
menced practice in Thomson, Georgia, in 
November, [876, He carried on a success- 
ful business, and bought land and farmed on 
an extensive scale. 

Mr. Watson was a delegate to the Demo- 
cratii state convention of [880, and was a 

member of the house of representatives of 

1 he legislature "I his native state in 1 882, 
In [888 he was an elector-at-large on the 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGR \PHY 



m 



Cleveland ticket, and ill [890 was elected 

to represent Ins . 1 1 .t 1 n 1 in the fitly second 

i ongress. This latter election is said to have 
been due entirely to Mr. Watson's "dash- 
ing display of ability, eloquent e ami popular 
power." Ill his later years lie championed 
the alliance principles and policies until he 
became a leader in the movement. In the 
heated campaign of 1896, Mr. Wal ion was 
nominated as the 1 andidate fof \ i< e presi- 
dent on the Bryan ticket by that part of the 
People's party that would not endorse the 
nominee for the same position made by the 
Demoi 1 at ic part y. 



FREDERIC K a. P. BARNARD, math 
matician, physicist and educator, was 

born in S lie lliel d, Massai li use Its, May 5, 1 Xoij. 
He graduated loan Yale ( ollege in [828, and 
in 1830 became a tutor in the same. From 
1837 to 1848 he was professor of mathe- 
matics and natural philosophy in the I'ni 
versity of Alabama, and from [848 to 1850, 
profeSSOl oi I hemistry and natural In i< .. 
in the same educational institution. In 
1 854 he be< ame 1 onnected with the Univer- 
sity of Mississippi, of which he became 
president in [856, and chancellor in 1858. 
In 1H54 he took orders in the Protestant 
Episcopal church. In 1861 Professor Barnard 
n tigned bis 1 ham elloi ship and < hail in the 
university, and in [863 and [864 was con- 
nected with the United States coast survey 
inchargeof chart printing and lithography. 
In May, 1 864, he was elected president of 
Columbia ( ollege, New York City, which 
he served for a number of years. 

Profea lor B u nod reci ived the honorary 
degree of LL. I), from Jefferson College, 
Mississippi, in 1-55, and from Yale ' 

in 1859; also the degree of S. T. D, from 

the University of Mississippi in 1861, and 
that of L. II. D. from the regent 1 ol thi 



University of the State of New York in 1872. 
In i860 he was a member of the eclipse 

p. 11 ty sent by the United State lsI sui 

vcy to Labrador, and during hi ibsenci 
was 'in ted president of the American Asso- 
ciation for the Advam ement of Si iem e. In 
tin ai 1 ni 1 ongress establishing the Nal ional 

Ai ademy ol Si i< in 1 ; in 1 863, he wa . named 

as one "I th< oi iginal < orpoi ators. In 1X67 
he was one of the I mited Si itea • ommis- 

1 is to the Paris Ej pot ition. I fe wa 1 

a member of the American Philosophical 
S01 niy, assoi iate member of the Amer- 
ican Academy of Alls and Sciences, and 

many othei philo n iphii al and scientific 

101 il I ieS at home and abroad. I )|. Halliard 

was thoroughly identified with the progri ■ 

of the ag thosi bi am hi s. His publi hed 

works relate wholly to scientifii 01 educa- 
tional subjects, chief among which are the 

following: Report on< ollegi ate Education; 

Art Culture; History of the Ai an I oa il 

Survey; University Education; Undulatory 
l In ory ol I .ight , Mai hinery and Proi 1 sse 
of the fndu iti ial Arts, and Apparaf us ol the 
Exact Sciences, Metrii System of Weights 
ami Mea lures, eti 



EDWIN McMASTERS STANTON, the 
tary of war during thi gr< at ( ivil 

wai , was n 1 ognized as one ol Ai a 

foremost public men. He wa 1 bom Dei em- 
ber 19, I 8 1 4, at Steiibenville, Ohio, 

he received his education and studied law. 
I [e was admitted to the bai in 1 8 (6, and 
was reporter of the mpn mi court oi ' >hio 
from [842 until 1845. I le n moved to 
Washington in [856 to attend to his prac- 
t H 1 before the United upreme 

court, and in [858 he went to California as 
1 nun K I I1.1 1 hi gi I in 1 ertain land 

cases, which he carried to a mccessful 
conclusion. Mr. Stanton was appointed 



130 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



attorney-general of the United States in 
December, i860, by President Buchanan. 
On March 4, 1861, Mr. Stanton went with 
the outgoing administration and returned to 
the practice of his profession. He was 
appointed secretary of war by President 
Lincoln January 20, 1862, to succeed Simon 
Cameron. After the assassination of Presi- 
dent Lincoln and the accession of Johnson 
to the presidency, Mr. Stanton was still in 
the same office. He held it for three years, 
and by his strict adherence to the Repub- 
lican party, he antagonized President John- 
son, who endeavored to remove him. On 
August 5, 1867, the president requested him 
to resign, and appointed General Grant to 
succeed him, but when congress convened 
in December the senate refused to concur in 
the suspension. Mr. Stanton returned to 
his post until the president again removed 
him from office, but was again foiled by 
congress. Soon after, however, he retired 
voluntarily from office and took up the 
practice of law, in which he engaged until 
his death, on December 24, 1869. 



ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, the eminent 
theologian and founder of the church 
known as Disciples of Christ, was born in 
the country of Antrim, Ireland, in June, 
1788, and was the son of Rev. Thomas 
Campbell, a Scoth-Irish "Seceder. " After 
studying at the University of Glasgow, he, 
in company with his father, came to America 
in 1808, and both began labor in western 
Pennsylvania to restore Christianity to 
apostolic simplicity. They organized a 
church at Brush Run, Washington county, 
Pennsylvania, in 181 1, which, however, the 
year following, adopted Baptist views, and 
in 1 81 3, with other congregations joined a 
Baptist association. Some of the under- 
lying principles and many practices of the 



Campbells and their disciples were repug- 
nant to the Baptist church and considerable 
friction was the result, and 1827 saw the 
separation of that church from the Church 
of Christ, as it is sometimes called. The 
latter then reorganized themselves anew. 
They reject all creeds, professing to receive 
the Bible as their only guide. In most mat- 
ters of faith they are essentially in accord with 
the other Evangelical Christian churches, 
especially in regard to the person and work 
of Christ, the resurrection and judgment. 
They celebrate the Lord's Supper weekly, 
hold that repentance and faith should precede 
baptism, attaching much importance to the 
latter ordinance. On all other points they 
encourage individual liberty of thought. In 
1 84 1, Alexander Campbell founded Bethany 
College, West Virginia, of which he was 
president for many years, and died March 4, 
1866. 

The denomination which they founded 
is quite a large and important church body 
in the United States. They support quite 
a number of institutions of learning, among 
which are: Bethany College, West Virginia; 
Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio; Northwestern 
Christian University, Indianapolis, Indiana; 
Eureka College, Illinois; Kentucky Univer- 
sity, Lexington, Kentucky; Oskaloosa 
College, Iowa; and a number of seminaries 
and schools. They also support several 
monthly and quarterly religious periodicals 
and many papers, both in the United States 
and Great Britain and her dependencies. 



WILLIAM L.WILSON, the noted West 
Virginian, who was postmaster-gener- 
al under President Cleveland's second ad- 
ministration, won distinction as the father 
of the famous " Wilson bill," which became 
a law under the same administration. Mr. 
Wiison was born May 3, 1843, in Jeffer- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



181 



son county, West Virginia, and received 
a good education at the Charlestown 
Academy, where he prepared himself for 
college. He attended the Columbian Col- 
lege in the District of Columbia, from 
which he graduated in i860, and then 
attended the University of Virginia. Mr. 
Wilson served in the Confederate army dur- 
ing the war, after which he was a professor 
in Columbian College. Later he entered 
into the practice of law at Charlestown. 
He attended the Democratic convention 
held at Cincinnati in 1880, as a delegate, 
and later was chosen as one of the electors 
for the state-at-large on the Hancock 
ticket. In the Democratic convention at 
Chicago in 1892, Mr. Wilson was its per- 
manent president. He was elected pres- 
ident of the West Virginia University in 
1882, entering upon the duties of his office 
on September 6, but having received the 
nomination for the forty-seventh congress 
on the Democratic ticket, he resigned the 
presidency of the university in June, 1883, 
to take his seat in congress. Mr. Wil- 
son was honored by the Columbian Uni- 
versity and the Hampden-Sidney College, 
both of which conferred upon him the de- 
gree of LL. D. In 1884 he was appointed 
regent of 'the Smithsonian Institution at 
Washington for two years, and at the end 
of his term was re-appointed. He was 
elected to the forty-seventh, forty-ninth, 
fiftieth, fifty-first, fifty-second and fifty- 
third congresses, but was defeated for re- 
election to the fifty-fourth congress. Upon 
the resignation of Mr. Bissell from the office 
of postmaster-general, Mr. Wilson was ap- 
pointed to fill the vacancy by President 
Cleveland. Hi? many years of public serv- 
ice and the prominent part he took in the 
discussion of public questions gave him a 
national reputation. 



CALVIN S. BRICE, a successful and 
noted financier and politician, was 
born at Denmark, Ohio, September 17, 
1845, of an old Maryland family, who trace 
their lineage from the Bryces, or Bruces, of 
Airth, Scotland. The father of our subject 
was a prominent Presbyterian clergyman, 
who removed to Ohio in 1812. Calvin S. 
Brice was educated in the common schools 
of his native town, and at the age of thir- 
teen entered the preparatory department of 
Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, and the 
following year entered the freshman class. 
On the breaking out of the Civil war, 
although but fifteen years old, he enlisted in 
a company of three-months men. He re- 
turned to complete his college course, but 
re-enlisted in Company A, Eighty-sixth 
Ohio Infantry, and served in the Virginia 
campaign. He then returned to college, 
from which he graduated in 1863. In 1864 
he organized Company E, One Hundred 
and Eightieth Ohio Infantry, and served 
until the close of hostilities, in the western 
armies. 

On his return home Mr. Brice entered 
the law department of the University of 
Michigan, and in 1866 was admitted to the 
bar in Cincinnati. In the winter of 1870- 
71 he went to Europe in the interests of the 
Lake Erie & Louisville Railroad and pro- 
cured a foreign loan. This road became 
the Lake Erie & Western, of which, in 
1887, Mr. Brice became president. This 
was the first railroad in which he had a 
personal interest. The conception, build- 
ing and sale of the New York, Chicago & 
St. Louis Railroad, known as the "Nickel 
Plate," was largely due to him. He was 
connected with many other railroads, among 
which may be mentioned the following: 
Chicago & Atlantic; Ohio Central; Rich- 
mond & Danville; Richmond & West Point 



182 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



Terminal; East Tennessee, Virginia & 
Georgia; Memphis & Charleston; Mobile & 
Birmingham; Kentucky Central; Duluth, 
South Shore & Atlantic, and the Marquette, 
Houghton & Ontonagon. In 1890 he was 
elected United States senator from Ohio. 
Notwithstanding his extensive business inter- 
ests, Senator Brice gave a considerable 
time to political matters, becoming one of 
the leaders of the Democratic party and one 
of the most widely known men in the 
country. •» 

BENJAMIN HARRISON, twenty-third 
president of the United States, was 
born August 20, 1833, at North Bend, 
Hamilton county, Ohio, in the house of his 
grandfather, General William Henry Har- 
rison, afterwards president of the United 
States. His great-grandfather, Benjamin 
Harrison, was a member of the Continental 
congress, signed the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, and was three times elected gov- 
ernor of Virginia. 

The subject of this sketch entered Farm- 
ers College at an early age, and two years 
later entered Miami University, at Oxford, 
Ohio. Upon graduation he entered the 
office of Stover & Gwyne, of Cincinnati, as a 
law student. He was admitted to the bar 
two years later, and having inherited about 
eight hundred dollars worth of property, he 
married the daughter of Doctor Scott, pres- 
ident of a female school at Oxford, Ohio, 
and selected Indianapolis, Indiana, to begin 
practice. In i860 he was nominated by 
the Republicans as candidate for state 
supreme court reporter, and did his first 
political speaking in that campaign. He 
was elected, and after two years in that 
position he organized the Seventieth Indi- 
ana Infantry, of which he was made colonel, 
and with his regiment joined General Sher- 



man's army. For bravery displayed at Re- 
saca and Peach Tree Creek he was made a 
brigadier-general. In the meantime the 
office of supreme court reporter had been 
declared vacant, and another party elected 
to fill it. In the fall of 1864, having been 
nominated for that office, General Harrison 
obtained a thirty-day leave of absence, went 
to Indiana, canvassed the state and was 
elected. As he was about to rejoin his 
command he was stricken down by an attack 
of fever. After his recovery he joined 
General Sherman's army and participated in 
the closing events of the war. 

In 1868 General Harrison declined to 
be a candidate for the office of supreme 
court reporter, and returned to the practice 
of the law. His brilliant campaign for the 
office of governor of Indiana in 1876, 
brought him into public notice, although he 
was defeated. He took a prominent part 
in the presidential canvass of 1880, and was 
chosen United States senator from Indiana, 
serving six years. He then returned to the 
practice of his profession. In 1888 he was 
selected by the Republican convention at 
Chicago as candidate for the presidency, and 
after a heated campaign was elected over 
Cleveland. He was inaugurated March 4, 
1889, and signed the McKinley bill October 
1, 1890, perhaps the most distinctive feature 
of his administration. In 1892 he was 
again the nominee of the Republican party 
for president, but was defeated by Grover 
Cleveland, the Democratic candidate, and 
again resumed the practice of law in Indian- 
apolis. 

JOHN CRAIG HAVEMEYER, the 
celebrated merchant and sugar refiner, 
was born in New York City in 1833. His 
father, William F. Havemeyer, and grand- 
father, William Havemeyer, were both sugar 



COMPEXDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



183 



refiners. The latter named came from 
Buckeburg, Germany, in 1799, and settled 
in New York, establishing one of the first 
refineries in that city. William F. succeeded 
his father, and at an early age retired from 
business with a competency. He was three 
times mayor of his native city, New York. 
John C. Havemeyer was educated in 
private schools, and was prepared for college 
at Columbia College grammar school. 
Owing to failing eyesight he was unable to 
finish his college course, and began his 
business career in a wholesale grocery store, 
where he remained two years. In 1854, 
after a year's travel abroad, he assumed the 
responsibility of the office work in the sugar 
refinery of Havemeyer & Molter, but two 
years later etablished a refinery of his own 
in Brooklyn. This afterwards developed into 
the immense business of Havemeyer & Elder. 
The capital was furnished by his father, 
and, chafing under the anxiety caused by the 
use of borrowed money, he sold out his 
interest and returned to Havemeyer & 
Molter. This firm dissolving the next year, 
John C. declined an offer of partnership 
from the successors, not wishing to use 
borrowed money. For two years he remain- 
ed with the house, receiving a share of the 
profits as compensation. For some years 
thereafter he was engaged in the commission 
business, until failing health caused his 
retirement. In 1871, he again engaged in 
the sugar refining business at Greenport, 
Long Island, with his brother and another 
partner, under the firm name of Havemeyer 
Brothers & Co. Here he remained until 
1880, when his health again declined. 
During the greater part of his life Mr. 
Havemeyer was identified with many benev- 
olent societies, including the New York 
Port Society, Missionary Society of the 
Methodist Church, American Bible Society, 



New York Sabbath School Society and 
others. He was active in Young Men's 
Christian Association work in New York, 
and organized and was the first president of 
an affiliated society of the same at Yonkers. 
He was director of several railroad corpo- 
rations and a trustee of the Continental Trust 
Company of New York. 



WALTER QUINTIN GRESHAM, an 
eminent American statesman and 
jurist, was born March 17, 1833, near Cory- 
don, Harrison county, Indiana. He ac- 
quired his education in the local schools of 
the county and at Bloomington Academy, 
although he did not graduate. After leav- 
ing college he read law with Judge Porter 
at Corydon, and just before the war he be- 
gan to take an interest in politics. Mr. 
Gresham was elected to the legislature from 
Harrison county as a Republican; previous 
to this the district had been represented by 
a Democrat. At the commencement of 
hostilities he was made lieutenant-colonel of 
the Thirty-eighth Indiana Infantry, but 
served in that regiment only a short time, 
when he was appointed colonel of the Fifty- 
third Indiana, and served under General 
Grant at the siege of Vicksburg as brigadier- 
general. Later he was under Sherman in 
the famous "March to the Sea," and com- 
manded a division of Blair's corps at the 
siege of Atlanta where he was so badly 
wounded in the leg that he was compelled 
to return home. On his way home he was 
forced to stop at New Albany, where he re- 
mained a year before he was able to leave. 
He was brevetted major-general at the close 
of the war. While at New Albany. Mr. 
Gresham was appointed state agent, his 
duty being to pay the interest on the state 
debt in New York, and he ran twice for 
congress against ex-Speaker Kerr, but was 



184 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



defeated in both cases, although he greatly 
reduced the Democratic majority. He was 
held in high esteem by President Grant, 
who offered him the portfolio of the interior 
but Mr. Gresham declined, but accepted 
the appointment of United States judge for 
Indiana to succeed David McDonald. 
Judge Gresham served on the United States 
district court bench until 1883, when he 
was appointed postmaster-general by Presi- 
dent Arthur, but held that office only a few 
months when he was made secretary of the 
treasury. Near the end of President 
Arthur's term, Judge Gresham was ap- 
pointed judge of the United States circuit 
court of the district composed of Indiana, 
Illinois and contiguous states, which he held 
until 1893. Judge Gresham was one of the 
presidential possibilities in the National Re- 
publican convention in 1888, when General 
Harrison was nominated, and was also men- 
tioned for president in 1892. Later the 
People's party made a strenuous effort to 
induce him to become their candidate for 
president, he refusing the offer, however, 
and a few weeks before the election he an- 
nounced that he would support Mr. Cleve- 
land, the Democratic nominee for president. 
Upon the election of Mr. Cleveland in the 
fall of 1892, Judge Gresham was made the 
secretary of state, and filled that position 
until his death on May 28, 1895, at Wash- 
ington, District of Columbia. 



ELISHA B. ANDREWS, noted as an ed- 
ucator and college president, was born 
at Hinsdale, New Hampshire, January 10, 
1844, his father and mother being Erastus 
and Elmira (Bartlett) Andrews. In 1861, 
he entered the service of the general gov- 
ernment as private and non-commissioned 
officer in the First Connecticut Heavy Ar- 
tillery, and in 1863 was promoted to the 



rank of second lieutenant. Returning home 
he was prepared for college at Powers In- 
stitute and at the Wesleyan Academy, and 
entered Brown University. From here he 
was graduated in 1870. For the succeeding 
two years he was principal of the Connecti- 
cut Literary Institute at Suffield, Connecticut. 
Completing a course at the Newton Theo- 
logical Institute, he was ordained pastor of 
the First Baptist church at Beverly, Massa- 
chusetts, July 2, 1874. The following 
year he became president of the Denison 
University, at Granville, Ohio. In 1879 
he accepted the professorship of homiletics, 
pastoral duties and church polity at Newton 
Theological Institute. In 1882 he was 
elected to the chair of history and political 
economy at Brown University. The Uni- 
versity of Nebraska honored him with an 
LL. D. in 1884, and the same year Colby 
University conferred the degree of D. D. 
In 1888 he became professor of political 
economy and public economy at Cornell 
University, but the next year returned to 
Brown University as its president. From 
the time of his inauguration the college work 
broadened in many ways. Many timely 
and generous donations from friends and 
alumni of the college were influenced by 
him, and large additions made "to the same. 
Professor Andrews published, in 1887, 
"Institutes of General History," and in 
1888, " Institutes of Economics." 



JOHN WILLIAM DRAPER, the subject 
of the present biography, was, during his 
life, one of the most distinguished chemists 
and scientific writers in America. He was 
an Englishman by birth, born at Liverpool, 
May 5, 181 1, and was reared in his native 
land, receiving an excellent education, 
graduating at the- University of London. In 
1833 he came to the United States, and 



r * 




COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRATHT. 



187 



settled first in Pennsylvania. He graduated 
in medicine at the University of Philadel- 
phia, in 1836, and for three years following 
was professor of chemistry and physiology 
at Hampden-Sidney College. He then be- 
came professor of chemistry in the New York 
University, with which institution he was 
prominently connected for many years. It 
is stated on excellent authority that Pro- 
fessor Draper, in 1839, took the first photo- 
graphic picture ever taken from life. He 
was a great student, and carried on many 
important and intricate experiments along 
scientific lines. He discovered many of the 
fundamental facts of spectrum analysis, 
which he published. He published a number 
of works of great merit, many of which are 
recognized as authority upon the subjects of 
which they treat. Among his work were: 
"Human Physiology, Statistical and Dyna- 
mical of the Conditions and Cause of Life 
in Man," "History of Intellectual Develop- 
ment of Europe," " History of the Ameri- 
can Civil War," besides a number of works 
on chemistry, optics and mathematics. Pro- 
fessor Draper continued to hold a high place 
among the scientific scholars of America 
until his death, which occurred in January, 
1882. 

GEORGE W. PECK, ex-governor of 
the state of Wisconsin and a famous 
journalist and humorist, was born in Jeffer- 
son county, New York, September 28, 1840. 
When he was about three years of age his 
parents removed to Wisconsin, settling near 
Whitewater, where young Peck received his 
education at the public schools. At fifteen 
he entered the office of the "Whitewater 
Register," where he learned the printer's 
art. He helped start the "Jefferson County 
Republican" later on, but sold out his 
interest therein and set type in the office of 



the "State Journal," at Madison. At the 
outbreak of the war he enlisted in the 
Fourth Wisconsin Cavalry as a private, and 
after serving four years returned a second 
lieutenant. He then started the " Ripon 
Representative," which he sold not long 
after, and removing to New York, was on 
the staff of Mark Pomeroy's "Democrat." 
Going to La Crosse, later, he conducted the 
La Crosse branch paper, a half interest in 
which he bought in 1S74. He next started 
"Peck's Sun," which four years later he 
removed to Milwaukee. While in La 
Crosse he was chief of police one year, and 
also chief clerk of the Democratic assembly 
in 1874. It was in 1878 that Mr. Peck 
took his paper to Milwaukee, and achieved 
his first permanent success, the circulation 
increasing to 80,000. For ten years he was 
regarded as one of the most original, versa- 
tile and entertaining writers in the country, 
and he has delineated every phase of 
country newspaper life, army life, domestic 
experience, travel and city adventure. Up 
to 1890 Mr. Peck took but little part in 
politics, but in that year was elected mayor 
of Milwaukee on the Democratic ticket. 
The following August he was elected gov- 
ernor of Wisconsin by a large majority, 
the "Bennett School Bill" figuring to a 
large extent in his favor. 

Mr. Peck, besides many newspaper arti- 
cles in his peculiar vein and numerous lect- 
ures, bubbling over with fun, is known to 
fame by the following books: "Peck's Bad 
Boy and his Pa," and "The Grocery Man 
and Peck's Bad Boy." 



CHARLES O'CONOR, who was for 
many years the acknowledged leader 
of the legal profession of New York City, 
was also conceded to be one of the greatest 
lawyers America has produced. He was 



188 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



born in New York City in 1804, his father 
being an educated Irish gentleman. Charles 
received a common-school education, and 
early took up the study of law, being ad- 
mitted to practice in 1824. His close ap- 
plication and untiring energy and industry 
soon placed him in the front rank of the 
profession, and within a few years he was 
handling many of the most important cases. 
One of the first great cases he had and which 
gained him a wide reputation, was that of 
" Jack, the Fugitive Slave, " in 1835, in which 
his masterful argument before the supreme 
court attracted wide attention and com- 
ment. Charles O'Conor was a Democrat 
all his life. He did not aspire to office- 
holding, however, and never held any office 
except that of district attorney under Presi- 
dent Pierce's administration, which he only 
retained a short time. He took an active 
interest, however, in public questions, and 
was a member of the state (New York) con- 
stitutional convention in 1864. In 1868 he 
was nominated for the presidency by the 
" Extreme Democrats." His death occurred 
in May, 1884. 

SIMON BOLIVAR BUCKNER, a noted 
American officer and major-general in 
the Confederate army, was born in Ken- 
tucky in 1823. He graduated from West 
Point Military Academy in 1844, served in 
the United States infantry artd was later as- 
signed to commissary duty with the rank of 
captain. He served several years at fron- 
tier posts, and was assistant professor in the 
military academy in 1846. He was with 
General Scott in the Mexican war, and en- 
gaged in all the battles from Vera Cruz to 
the capture of the Mexican capital. He 
was wounded at Cherubusco and brevetted 
first lieutenant, and at Molino del Rey was 
brevetted captain. After the close of the 



Mexican war he returned to West Point as 
assistant instructor, and was then assigned 
to commissary duty at New York. He re- 
signed in 1855 and became superintendent 
of construction of the Chicago custom house. 
He was made adjutant-genenal, with the 
rank of colonel, of Illinois militia, and was 
colonel of Illinois volunteers raised for the 
Utah expedition, but was not mustered into 
service. In i860 he removed to Kentucky, 
where he settled on a farm near Louisville 
and became inspector-general in command 
of the Kentucky Home Guards. At the 
opening of the Civil war he joined the Con- 
federate army, and was given command at 
Bowling Green, Kentucky, which he was 
compelled to abandon after the capture of 
Fort Henry. He then retired to Fort Don- 
elson, and was there captured with sixteen 
thousand men, and an immense store of pro- 
visions, by General Grant, in February, 
1862. He was held as a prisoner of war 
at Fort Warren until August of that year. 
He commanded a division of Hardee's corps 
in Bragg's Army of the Tennessee, and was 
afterward assigned to the third division and 
participated in the battles of Chickamauga, 
and Murfreesboro. He was with Kirby 
Smith when that general surrendered his 
army to General Canby in May, 1865. He 
was an unsuccessful candidate for the vice- 
presidency on the Gold Democratic ticket 
with Senator John M. Palmer in 1896. 



SIMON KENTON, one of the famous pio- 
neers and scouts whose names fill the 
pages of the early history of our country, 
was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, 
April 3, 1755. In consequence of an affray, 
at the age of eighteen, young Kenton went 
to Kentucky, then the "Dark and Bloody 
Ground," and became associated with Dan- 
iel Boone and other pioneers of that region. 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



.189 



For a short time he acted as a scout and 
spy for Lord Dunmore, the British governor 
of Virginia, but afterward taking the side 
of the struggling colonists, participated in 
the war for independence west of the Alle- 
ghanies. In 1784 he returned to Virginia, 
but did not remain there long, going back 
with his family to Kentucky. From 
that time until 1793 he participated in all 
the combats and battles of that time, and 
until "Mad Anthony" Wayne swept the 
Valley of the Ohio, and settled the suprem- 
acy of the whites in that region. Kenton 
laid claim to large tracts of land in the new 
country he had helped to open up, but 
through ignorance of law, and the growing 
value of the land, lost it all and was reduced 
to poverty. During the war with England 
in 1 812-15, Kenton took part in the inva- 
sion of Canada with the Kentucky troops 
and participated in the battle of the Thames. 
He finally had land granted him by the 
legislature of Kentucky, and received a pen- 
sion from the United States government. 
He died in Logan county, Ohio, April 29, 
1836. 

ELIHU BENJAMIN WASHBURNE, an 
American statesman of eminence, was 
born in Livermore, Maine, September 23, 
1 816. He learned the trade of printer, but 
abandoned that calling at the age of eight- 
een and entered the Kent's Hill Academy at 
Reading, Maine, and then took up the study 
of law, reading in Hallowell, Boston, and at 
the Harvard Law School. He began prac- 
tice at Galena, Illinois, in 1840. He was 
elected to congress in 1852, and represented 
his district in that body continuously until 
March, 1869, and at the time of his retire- 
ment he had served a greater number of 
consecutive terms than any other member 
of the house. In 1873 President Grant ap- 



pointed him secretary of state, which posi- 
tion he resigned to accept that of minister 
to France. During the Franco- Prussian 
war, including the siege of Paris and the 
reign of the Commune, Mr. Washburne re- 
mained at his post, protecting the lives and 
property of his countrymen, as well as that 
of other foreign residents in Paris, while the 
ministers of all other powers abandoned 
their posts at a time when they were most 
needed. As far as possible he extended 
protection to unfortunate German residents, 
who were the particular objects of hatred of 
the populace, and his firmness and the suc- 
cess which attended his efforts won the ad- 
miration of all Europe. Mr. Washburne 
died at Chicago, Illinois, October 22, 1887. 



WILLIAM CRAMP, one of the most 
extensive shipbuilders of this coun- 
try, was born in Kensington, then a suburb, 
now a part of Philadelphia, in 1806. He 
received a thorough English education, and 
when he left school was associated with 
Samuel Grice, one of the most eminent 
naval architects of his day. In 1830, hav- 
ing mastered all the details of shipbuilding, 
Mr. Cramp engaged in business on his own 
account. By reason of ability and excel- 
lent work he prospered from the start, until 
now, in the hands of his sons, under the 
name of William Cramp & Sons' Ship and 
Engine Building Company, it has become the 
most complete shipbuilding plant and naval 
arsenal in the western hemisphere, and fully 
equal to any in the world. As Mr. Cramp's 
sons attained manhood they learned their 
father's profession, and were admitted to a 
partnership. In 1872 the firm was incor- 
porated under the title given above. Until 
i860 wood was used in building vessels, al- 
though pace was kept with all advances in 
the art of shipbuilding. At the opening of 



190 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



the war came an unexpected demand for 
war vessels, which they promptly met. The 
sea-going ironclad "New Ironsides" was 
built by them in 1862, followed by a num- 
ber of formidable ironclads and the cruiser 
"Chattanooga." They subsequently built 
several war vessels for the Russian and 
other governments which added to their 
reputation. When the American steamship 
line was established in 1870, the Cramps 
were commissioned to build for it four first- 
class iron steamships, the "Pennsylvania," 
"Ohio," "Indiana" and "Illinois," which 
they turned out in rapid order, some of the 
finest specimens of the naval architecture of 
their day. William Cramp remained at the 
head of the great company he had founded 
until his death, which occurred January 6, 

1879. 

Charles H. Cramp, the successor of his 
father as head of the William Cramp & 
Sons' Ship and Engine Building Company, 
was born in Philadelphia May 9, 1829, and 
received an excellent education in his native 
city, which he sedulously sought to sup- 
plement by close study until he became 
an authority on general subjects and the 
best naval architect on the western hemis- 
.phere. Many of the best vessels of our 
new navy were built by this immense con- 
cern. 

WASHINGTON ALLSTON, probably 
the greatest American painter, was 
born in South Carolina in 1779. He was 
sent to school at the age of seven years at 
Newport, Rhode Island, where he met Ed- 
ward Malbone, two years his senior, and 
who later became a painter of note. The 
friendship that sprang up between them un- 
doubtedly influenced young Allston in the 
choice of a profession. He graduated from 
Harvard in 1800, and went to England the 



following year, after pursuing his studies for 
a year under his friend Malbone at his home 
in South Carolina. He became a student 
at the Royal Academy where the great 
American, Benjamin West, presided, and 
who became his intimate friend. Allston 
later went to Paris, and then to Italy, where 
four years were spent, mostly at Rome. In 
1809 he returned to America, but soon after 
returned to London, having married in the 
meantime a sister of Dr. Channing. In 
a short time his first great work appeared, 
"The Dead Man Restored to Life by the 
Bones of Elisha," which took the British 
Association prize and firmly established his 
reputation. Other paintings followed in 
quick succession, the greatest among which 
were "Uriel in the Center of the Sun," 
"Saint Peter Liberated by the Angel," and 
"Jacob's Dream," supplemented by many 
smaller pieces. Hard work, and grief'at the 
death of his wife began to tell upon his health, 
and he left London in 181 8 for America. 
The same year he was elected an associate 
of the Royal Academy. During the next 
few years he painted "Jeremiah," "Witch 
ofEndor," and "Beatrice." In 1830 Alls- 
ton married a daughter of Judge Dana, and 
went to Cambridge, which was his home 
until his death. Here he produced the 
"Vision of the Bloody Hand," "Rosalie," 
and many less noted pieces, and had given 
one week of labor to his unfinished master- 
piece, "Belshazzar's Feast," when death 
ended his career July 9, 1843. 



JOHN ROACH, ship builder and manu- 
facturer, whose career was a marvel 0/ 
industrial labor, and who impressed his in- 
dividuality and genius upon the times in 
which he lived more, perhaps, than any 
other manufacturer in America. He was 
born at Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ire- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



191 



land, December 25, 181 5, the son of a 
wealthy merchant. He attended school 
until he was thirteen, when his father be- 
came financially embarrassed and failed 
and shortly after died; John determined to 
come to America and carve out a fortune 
for himself. He landed in New York at the 
age of sixteen, and soon obtained employ- 
ment at the Howell Iron Works in New Jer- 
sey, at twenty-five cents a day. He soon 
made himself a place in the world, and at 
the end of three years had saved some 
twelve hundred dollars, which he lost by 
the failure of his employer, in whose hands 
it was left. Returning to New York he 
began to learn how to make castings for 
marine engines and ship work. Having 
again accumulated one thousand dollars, in 
company with three fellow workmen, he 
purchased a small foundry in New York, 
but soon became sole proprietor. At the 
end of four years he had saved thirty thou- 
sand dollars, besides enlarging his works. 
In 1856 his works were destroyed by a 
boiler explosion, and being unable to collect 
the insurance, was left, after paying his 
debts, without a dollar. However, his 
credit and reputation for integrity was good, 
and he built the Etna Iron Works, giving it 
capacity to construct larger marine engines 
than any previously built in this country. 
Here he turned out immense engines for 
the steam ram Dunderberg, for the war ves- 
sels Winooski and Neshaning, and other 
large vessels. To accommodate his increas- 
ing business, Mr. Roach, in 1869, pur- 
chased the Morgan Iron Works, one of the 
largest in New York, and shortly after sev- 
eral others. In 1871 he bought the Ches- 
ter ship yards, which he added to largely, 
erecting a rolling mill and blast furnace, and 
providing every facility for building a ship 
out of the ore and timber. This immense 



plant covered a large area, was valued at 
several millions of dollars, and was known 
as the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding 
and Engine Works, of which Mr. Roach 
was the principal owner. He built a large 
percentage of the iron vessels now flying 
the American flag, the bulk of his business 
being for private parties. In 1875 he built 
the sectional dry docks at Pensacola. He, 
about this time, drew the attention of the 
government to the use of compound marine 
engines, and thus was the means of im- 
proving the speed and economy of the ves- 
sels of our new navy. In 1883 Mr. Roach 
commenced work on the three cruisers for 
the government, the " Chicago," "Boston" 
and "Atlanta," and the dispatch boat 
" Dolphin." For some cause the secretary 
of the navy refused to receive the latter and 
decided that Mr. Roach's contract would 
not hold. This embarrassed Mr. Roach, 
as a large amount of his capital was in- 
volved in these contracts, and for the pro- 
tection of bondsmen and creditors, July 18, 
1885, he made an assignment, but the 
financial trouble broke down his strong con- 
stitution, and January 10, 1887, he died. 
His son, John B. Roach, succeeded to the 
shipbuilding interests, while Stephen W. 
Roach inherited the Morgan Iron Works at 
New York. 

JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY, one of 
the two great painters who laid the 
foundation of true American art, was born 
in Boston in 1737, one year earlier than his 
great contemporary, Benjamin West. His 
education was limited to the common schools 
of that time, and his training in art he ob- 
tained by his own observation and experi- 
ments solely. When he was about seven- 
teen years old he had mapped out his future, 
however, by choosing painting as his pro ■ 



192 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



fession. If he ever studied under any 
teacher in his early efforts, we have no au- 
thentic account of it, and tradition credits 
the young artist's wonderful success en- 
tirely to his own talent and untiring effort. 
It is almost incredible that at the age of 
twenty-three years his income from his 
works aggregated fifteen hundred dollars 
per annum, a very great sum in those days. 
In 1774 he went to Europe in search of ma- 
terial for study, which was so rare in his 
native land. After some time spent in Italy 
he finally took up his permanent residence 
in England. In 1783 he was made a mem- 
ber of the Royal Academy, and later his 
son had the high honor of becoming lord 
chancellor of England and Lord Lyndhurst. 
Many specimens of Copley's work are to 
be found in the Memorial Hall at Harvard 
and in the Boston Museum, as well as a few 
of the works upon which he modeled his 
style. Copley was essentially a portrait 
painter, though his historical paintings at- 
tained great celebrity, his" masterpiece 
being his " Death of Major Pierson," though 
that distinction has by some been given to 
his "Death of Chatham." It is said that 
he never saw a good picture until he was 
thirty-five years old, yet his portraits prior 
to that period are regarded as rare speci- 
mens. He died in 181 5. 



HENRY B. PLANT, one of the greatest 
railroad men of the country, became 
famous as president of the Plant system of 
railway and steamer lines, and also the 
Southern & Texas Express Co. He was 
born in October, 18 19, at Branford, 
Connecticut, and entered the railroad serv- 
ice in 1844, serving as express messenger 
on the Hartford & New Haven Railroad until 
1853, during which time he had entire 
charge of the express business of that road. 



He went south in 1853 and established ex- 
press lines on various southern railways, and 
in 1 86 1 organized the Southern Express 
Co., and became its president. In 1879 he 
purchased, with others, the Atlantic & Gulf 
Railroad of Georgia, and later reorganized 
the Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad, 
of which he became president. He pur- 
chased and rebuilt, in 1880, the Savannah 
& Charleston Railroad, now Charleston & 
Savannah. Not long after this he organ- 
ized the Plant Investment Co., to control 
these railroads and advance their interests 
generally, and later established a steamboat 
line on the St. John's river, in Florida. 
From 1853 until i860 he was general 
superintendent of the southern division of 
the Adams Express Co., and in 1867 be- 
came president of the Texas Express Co. 
The "Plant system" of railway, steamer 
and steamship lines is one of the greatest 
business corporations of the southern states. 



WADE HAMPTON, a noted Confeder- 
ate officer, was born at Columbia, 
South Carolina, in 1818. He graduated 
from the South Carolina College, took an 
active part in politics, and was twice elected 
to the legislature of his state. In 1861 he 
joined the Confederate army, and command- 
ed the " Hampton Legion" at the first bat- 
tle of Bull Run, in July, 1861. He did 
meritorious service, was wounded, and pro- 
moted to brigadier-general. He command- 
ed a brigade at Seven Pines, in 1862, and 
was again wounded. He was engaged in 
the battle of Antietam in September of the 
same year, and participated in the raid into 
Pennsylvania in October. In 1863 he was 
with Lee at Gettysburg, where he was 
wounded for the third time. He was pro- 
moted to the rank of lieutenant-general, and 
commanded a troop of cavalry in Lee's 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



193 



army during 1864, and was in numerous en- 
gagements. In 1865 he was in South Car- 
olina, and commanded the cavalry rear 
guard of the Confederate army in its stub- 
born retreat before General Sherman on his 
advance toward Richmond. 

After the war Hampton took an active 
part in politics, and was a prominent figure 
at the Democratic national convention in 
1868, which nominated Seymour and Blair 
for president and vice-president. He was 
governor of South Carolina, and took his 
seat in the United States senate in 1879, 
where he became a conspicuous figure in 
national affairs. 



NIKOLA TESLA, one of the most cele- 
brated electricians America has known, 
was born in 1857, at Smiljau, Lika, Servia. 
He descended from an old and representative 
family of that country. His father was a 
a minister of the Greek church, of high rank, 
while his mother was a woman of remarka- 
ble skill in the construction of looms, churns 
and the machinery required in a rural home. 
Nikola received early education in the 
public schools of Gospich, when he was 
sent to the higher "Real Schule" at Karl- 
stadt, where,, after a three years' course, 
he graduated in 1873. He devoted him- 
self to experiments in electricity and 
magnetism, to the chagrin of his father, 
who had destined him for the ministry, 
but giving way to the boy's evident genius 
he was allowed to continue his studies in 
the polytechnic school at Gratz. He in- 
herited a wonderful intuition which enabled 
him to see through the intricacies of ma- 
chinery, and despite his instructor's demon- 
stration that a dynamo could not be oper- 
ated without commutators or brushes, 
began experiments which finally resulted in 
his rotating field motors. After the study 



of languages at Prague and Buda-Pesth, he 
became associated with M. Puskas, who 
had introduced the telephone into Hungary. 
He invented several improvements, but 
being unable to reap the necessary benefit 
from them, he, in search of a wider field, 
went to Paris, where he found employment 
with one of the electric lighting companies 
as electrical engineer. Soon he set his face 
westward, and coming to the United States 
for a time found congenial employment wrth 
Thomas A. Edison. Finding it impossible, 
overshadowed as he was, to carry out his 
own ideas he left the Edison works to join 
a company formed to place his own inven- 
tions on the market. He perfected his 
rotary field principle, adapting it to circuits 
then in operation. It is said of him that 
some of his proved theories will change the 
entire electrical science. It would, in an 
article of this length, be impossible to ex- 
plain all that Tesla accomplished for the 
practical side of electrical engineering. 
His discoveries formed the basis of the at- 
tempt to utilize the water power of Niagara 
Falls. His work ranges far beyond the 
vast department of polyphase currents and 
high potential lighting and includes many 
inventions in arc lighting, transformers, 
pyro and thermo-magnetic motors, new 
forms of incandescent lamps, unipolar dyna- 
mos and many others. 



CHARLES B. LEWIS won fame as an 
American humorist under the name of 
"M. Quad." It is said he owes his 
celebrity originally to the fact that he was 
once mixed up in a boiler explosion on the 
Ohio river, and the impressions he received 
from the event he set up from his case when 
he was in the composing room of an ob- 
scure Michigan paper. His style possesses a 
peculiar quaintness, and there runs through 



194 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



it a vein of philosophy. Mr. Lewis was 
born in 1844, near a town called Liverpool, 
Ohio. He was, however, raised in Lansing, 
Michigan, where he spent a year in an agri- 
cultural college, going from there to the 
composing room of the "Lansing Demo- 
crat." At the outbreak of the war he en- 
listed in the service, remained during the 
entire war, and then returned to Lansing. 
The explosion of the boiler that "blew him 
into fame, " took place two years later, while 
he was on his way south. When he re- 
covered physically, he brought suit for dam- 
ages against the steamboat company, which 
he gained, and was awarded a verdict of 
twelve thousand dollars for injuries re- 
ceived. It was while he was employed by 
the "Jacksonian" of Pontiac, Mich. .that he 
set up his account of how he felt while being 
blown up. He says that he signed it "M 
Quad," because "a bourgeoise em quad is 
useless except in its own line — it won't 
justify with any other type." Soon after, 
because of the celebrity he attained by this 
screed, Mr. Lewis secured a place on the 
staff of the " Detroit Free Press," and made 
for that paper a wide reputation. His 
sketches of the "Lime Kiln Club" and 
" Brudder Gardner " are perhaps the best 
known of his humorous writings. 



HIRAM S. MAXIM, the famous inventor, 
was born in Sangersville, Maine, 
February 5, 1840, the son of Isaac W. 
and Harriet B. Maxim. The town of his 
birth was but a small place, in the 
woods, on the confines of civilization, 
and the family endured many hardships. 
They were without means and entirely 
dependent on themselves to make out of 
raw materials all they needed. The mother 
was an expert spinner, weaver, dyer and 
seamstress and the father a trapper, tanner, 



miller, blacksmith, carpenter, mason and 
farmer. Amid such surroundings young 
Maxim gave early promise of remarkable 
aptitude. With the universal Yankee jack- 
knife the products of his skill excited the 
wonder and interest of the locality. His 
parents did not encourage his latent genius 
but apprenticed him to a coach builder. 
Four years he labored at this uncongenial 
trade but at the end of that time he forsook 
it and entered a machine shop at Fitchburg, 
Massachusetts. Soon mastering the details 
of that business and that of mechanical 
drawing, he went to Boston as the foreman 
of the philosophical instrument manufactory. 
From thence he went to New York and with 
the Novelty Iron Works Shipbuilding Co. 
he gained experience in those trades. His 
inventions up to this, time consisted of 
improvements in steam engines, and an 
automatic gas machine, which came into 
general use. In 1877 he turned his attention 
to electricity, and in 1878 produced an 
incandescent lamp, that would burn 1,000 
hours. He was the first to design a process 
for flashing electric carbons, and the first 
to "standardize" carbons for electric light- 
ing. In 1880 he visited Europe and exhibit- 
ing, at the Paris Exposition of 1881, a self- 
regulating machine, was decorated with the 
Legion of Honor. In 1883 he returned to 
London as the European representative of the 
United States Electric Light Co. An incident 
of his boyhood, in which the recoil of a rifle 
was noticed by him, and the apparent loss 
of power shown, in 188 1-2 prompted the 
invention of a gun which utilizes the recoil to 
automatically load and fire seven hundred 
and seventy shots per minute. The Maxim- 
Nordenfelt Gun Co., with a capital of nine 
million dollars, grew from this. In 1883 he 
patented his electric training gear for large 
guns. And later turned his attention to fly- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



195 



ing machines, which he claimed were not an 
impossibility. He took out over one hundred 
patents for smokeless gunpowder, and for pe- 
troleum and other motors and autocycles. 



JOHN DAVISON ROCKEFELLER, 
one of America's very greatest financiers 
and philanthropists, was born in Richford, 
Tioga county, New York, July 8, 1839. He 
received a common-school education in his 
native place, and in 1853, when his parents 
removed to Cleveland, Ohio, he entered the 
high school of that city. After a two-years' 
course of diligent work, he entered the com- 
mission and forwarding house of Hewitt & 
Tuttle, of Cleveland, remaining with the 
firm some years, and then began business 
for himself, forming a partnership with 
Morris B. Clark. Mr. Rockefeller was then 
but nineteen years of age, and during the 
year i860, in connection with others, they 
started the oil refining business, under the 
firm name of Andrews, Clark & Co. Mr. 
Rockefeller and Mr. Andrews purchased the 
interest of their associates, and, after taking 
William Rockefeller into the firm, established 
offices in Cleveland under the name of 
William Rockefeller & Co. Shortly after 
this the house of Rockefeller & Co. was es- 
tablished in New York for the purpose of 
finding a market for their products, -and two 
years later all the refining companies were 
consolidated under the firm name of Rocke- 
feller, Andrews & Flagler. This firm was 
succeeded in 1870 by the Standard Oil 
Company of Ohio, said to be the most 
gigantic business corporation of modern 
times. John D. Rockefeller's fortune has 
been variously estimated at from one hun- 
dred million to two hundred million dollars. 
Mr. Rockefeller's philanthropy mani- 
fested itself principally through the American 
Baptist Educational Society. He donated 



the building for the Spelman Institute at 
Atlanta, Georgia, a school for the instruction 
of negroes. His other gifts were to the 
University of Rochester, Cook Academy, 
Peddie Institute, and Vassar College, be- 
sides smaller gifts to many institutions 
throughout the country. His princely do- 
nations, however, were to the University of 
Chicago. His first gift to this institution 
was a conditional offer of six hundred thou- 
sand dollars in 1889, and when this amount 
was paid he added one million more. Dur- 
ing 1892 he made it two gifts of one million 
each, and all told, his donations to this one 
institution aggregated between seven and 
eight millions of dollars. 



JOHN M. PALMER.— For over a third 
J of a century this gentleman occupied a 
prominent place in the political world, both 
in the state of Illinois and on the broader 
platform of national issues. 

Mr. Palmer was born at Eagle Creek, 
Scott county, Kentucky, September 13, 
18 17. The family subsequently removed 
to Christian county, in the same state, where 
he acquired a common-school education, and 
made his home until 1831. His father was 
opposed to slavery, and in the latter year 
removed to Illinois and settled near Alton. 
In 1834 John entered Alton College, or- 
ganized on the manual-labor plan, but his 
funds failing, abandoned it and entered a 
cooper shop. He subsequently was en- 
gaged in peddling, and teaching a district 
school near Canton. In 1838 he began the 
study of law, and the following year re- 
moved to Carlinville, where, in December of 
that year, he was admitted to the bar. He 
was shortly after defeated for county clerk. 
In 1843 he was elected probate judge. In 
the constitutional convention of 1847, Mr. 
Palmer was a delegate, and from 1849 to 



196 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



185 1 he was county judge. In 1852 he be- 
came a member of the state senate, but not 
being with his party on the slavery question 
he resigned that office in 1854. In 1856 
Mr. Palmer was chairman of the first Re- 
publican state convention held in Illinois, 
and the same year was a delegate to the 
national convention. In i860 he was an 
elector on the Lincoln ticket, and on the 
breaking out of the war entered the service 
as colonel of the Fourteenth Illinois Infan- 
try, but was shortly after brevetted brigadier- 
general. In August, 1862, he organized 
the One Hundred and Twenty-second Illi- 
nois Infantry, but in September he was 
placed in command of the first division of 
the Army of the Mississippi, afterward was 
promoted to the rank of major-general. In 
1865 he was assigned to the military ad- 
ministration in Kentucky. In 1867 General 
Palmer was elected governor of Illinois and 
served four years. In 1872 he went with 
the Liberal Republicans, who supported 
Horace Greeley, after which time he was 
identified with the Democratic party. In 
1890 he was elected United States senator 
from Illinois, and served as such for six 
years. In 1896, on the adoption of the sil- 
ver plank in the platform of the Democratic 
party, General Palmer consented to lead, 
as presidential candidate, the National Dem- 
ocrats, or Gold Democracy. 



WILLIAM H. BEARD, the humorist 
among American painters, was born 
at Painesville, Ohio, in 1821. His father, 
James H. Beard, was also a painter of na- 
tional reputation. William H. Beard be- 
gan his career as a traveling portrait 
painter. He pursued his studies in New 
York, and later removed to Buffalo, where 
he achieved reputation. He then went to 



Italy and after a short stay returned to New 
York and opened a studio. One of his 
earliest paintings was a small picture called 
"Cat and Kittens, " which was placed in 
the National Academy on exhibition. Among 
his best productions are "Raining Cats and 
Dogs," "The Dance of Silenus, " "Bears 
on a Bender," "Bulls and Bears," ' ' Whoo!" 
" Grimalkin's Dream," " Little Red Riding 
Hood," "The Guardian of the Flag." His 
animal pictures convey the most ludicrous 
and satirical ideas, and the intelligent, 
human expression in their faces is most 
comical. Some artists and critics have re- 
fused to give Mr. Beard a place among the 
first circles in art, solely on account of the 
class of subjects he has chosen. 



WW. CORCORAN, the noted philan- 
thropist, was born at Georgetown, 
District of Columbia. December 27, 1798. 
At the age of twenty-five he entered the 
banking business in Washington, and in 
time became very wealthy. He was 
noted for his magnificent donations to char- 
ity. Oak Hill cemetery was donated to 
Georgetown in 1847, and ten years later the 
Corcoran Art Gallery, Temple of Art, was 
presented to the city of Washington. The 
uncompleted building was utilized by the 
government as quartermaster's headquar- 
ters during the war. The building was 
completed after the war at a cost of a mil- 
lion and a half dollars, all the gift of Mr. 
Corcoran. The Louise Home for Women 
is another noble charity to his credit. Its 
object is the care of women of gentle breed- 
ing who in declining years are without 
means of support. In addition to this he 
gave liberally to many worthy institutions 
of learning and charity. He died at Wash- 
ington February 24, 1888. 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



197 



ALBERT BIERSTADT, the noted paint- 
er of American landscape, was born in 
Dusseldorf, Germany, in 1829, and was 
brought to America by his parents at the 
age of two years. He received his early 
education here, but returned to Dusseldorf 
to study painting, and also went to Rome. 
On his return to America he accompanied 
Lander's expedition across the continent, in 
185S, and soon after produced his most 
popular work, "The Rocky Mountains — 
Lander's Peak. " Its boldness and grandeur 
were so unusual that it made him famous. 
The picture sold for twenty-five thousand 
dollars. In 1867 Mr. Bierstadt went to 
Europe, with a government commission, 
and gathered materials for his great historic- 
al work, "Discovery of the North River 
by Hendrik Hudson." Others of his great 
works were "Storm in the Rocky Mount- 
ains," " Valley of the Yosemite," "North 
Fork of the Platte," "Diamond Pool," 
"Mount Hood," "Mount Rosalie," and 
"The Sierra Nevada Mountains." His 
"Estes Park" sold for fifteen thousand 
dollars, and "Mount Rosalie" brought 
thirty-five thousand dollars. His smaller 
Rocky mountain scenes, however, are vast- 
ly superior to his larger works in execution 
and coloring. 

ADDISON CAMMACK, a famous mill- 
ionaire Wall street speculator, was 
born in Kentucky. When sixteen years old 
he ran away from home and went to New 
Orleans, where he went to work in a ship- 
ping house. He outlived and outworked 
all the partners, and became the head of the 
firm before the opening of the war. At 
that time he fitted out small vessels and en- 
gaged in running the blockade of southern 
ports and carrying ammunition, merchan- 
dise, etc., to the southern people. This 



made him a fortune. At the close of the 
war he quit business and went to New 
York. For two years he did not enter any 
active business, but seemed to be simply an 
on-looker in the great speculative center of 
America. He was observing keenly the 
methods and financial machinery, however, 
and when, in 1867, he formed a partnership 
with the popular Charles J. Osborne, the 
firm began to prosper. He never had an 
office on the street, but wandered into the 
various brokers' offices and placed his orders 
as he saw fit. In 1873 he dissolved his 
partnership with Osborne and operated 
alone. He joined a band of speculative 
conspirators known as the "Twenty-third 
party," and was the ruling spirit in that or- 
ganization for the control of the stock mar- 
ket. He was always on the ' ' bear " side and 
the only serious obstacle he ever encoun- 
tered was the persistent boom in industrial 
stocks, particularly sugar, engineered by 
James R. Keane. Mr. Cammack fought 
Keane for two years, and during the time is 
said to have lost no less than two million 
dollars before he abandoned the fight. 



WALT. WHITMAN.— Foremost among 
the lesser poets of the latter part of the 
nineteenth century, the gentleman whose 
name adorns the head of this article takes 
a conspicuous place. 

Whitman was born at West Hills, Long 
Island, New York, May 13, 1809. In the 
schools of Brooklyn he laid the foundation 
of his education, and early in life learned the 
printer's trade. For a time he taught coun- 
try schools in his native state. In 1846-7 
he was editor of the " Brooklyn Eagle, " 
but in 1848-9 was on the editorial staff of 
the "Crescent," of New Orleans. He 
made an extended tour throughout the 
United States and Canada, and returned to 



«98 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



Brooklyn, where, in 1850, he published the 
"Freeman. " For some years succeeding 
his he was engaged as carpenter and builder. 
During the Civil war, Whitman acted as 
a volunteer nurse in the hospitals at 
Washington and vicinity and from the close 
of hostilities until 1873 he was employed 
in various clerkships in the government 
offices in the nation's capital. In the latter 
year he was stricken with paralysis as a 
result of his labors in the hospital, it is 
said, and being partially disabled lived for 
many years at Camden, New Jersey. 

The first edition of the work which was 
to bring him fame, "Leaves of Grass," was 
published in 1855 and was but a small 
volume of about ninety-four pages. Seven 
or eight editions of "Leaves of Grass" have 
been issued, each enlarged and enriched with 
new poems. "Drum Taps," at first a 
separate publication, has been incorporated 
with the others. This volume and one 
prose writing entitled " Specimen Days and 
Collect," constituted his whole work. 

Walt. Whitman died at Camden, New 
Jersey, March 26, 1892. 



HENRY DUPONT, who became cele- 
brated as America's greatest manufact- 
urer of gunpowder, was a native of Dela- 
ware, born August 8, 18 12. He received 
his education in its higher branches at the 
United States Military Academy at West 
Point, from which he graduated and entered 
the army as second lieutenant of artillery in 
1833. In 1834 he resigned and became 
proprietor of the extensive gunpowder 
manufacturing plant that bears his name, 
near Wilmington, Delaware. His large 
business interests interfered with his tak- 
ing any active participation in political 
life, although for many years he served 
as adjutant-general of his native state, and 



during the war as major-general command- 
ing the Home Guards. He died August 8, 
1889. His son, Henry A. Dupont, also was 
a native of Delaware, and was born July 30, 
1838. After graduating from West Point 
in 1 86 1, he entered the army as second 
lieutenant of engineers. Shortly after he 
was transferred to the Fifth Artillery as first 
lieutenant. He was promoted to the rank 
of captain in 1864, serving in camp and 
garrison most of the time. He was in com- 
mand of a battery in the campaign of 
1863-4. As chief of artillery of the army of 
West Virginia, he figured until the close of 
the war, being in the battles of Opequan, 
Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, besides 
many minor engagements. He afterward 
acted as instructor in the artillery school at 
Fortress Monroe, and on special duty at 
West Point. He resigned from the army 
March 1; 1875. 



WILLIAM DEERING, one of the fa- 
mous manufacturers of America, and 
also a philanthropist and patron of educa- 
tion, was born in Maine in 1826. His an- 
cestors were English, having settled in New 
England in 1634. Early in life it was Will- 
iam's intention to become a physician, and 
after completing his common-school educa- 
tion, when about eighteen years of age, he 
began an apprenticeship with a physician. 
A short time later, however, at the request 
of his father, he took charge of his father's 
business interests, which included a woolen 
mill, retail store and grist mill, after which 
he became agent for a dry goods commission 
house in Portland, where he was married. 
Later he became partner in the firm, and 
removed to New York. The business pros- 
pered, and after a number of years, on ac- 
count of failing health, Mr. Deering sold his 
interest to his partner, a Mr. Milner. The 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



199 



business has since made Mr. Milner a mill- 
ionaire many times over. A few years 
later Mr. Deering located in Chicago. His 
beginning in the manufacture of reapers, 
which has since made his name famous, 
was somewhat of an accident. He had 
loaned money to a man in that business, 
and in 1878 was compelled to buy out the 
business to protect his interests. The busi- 
ness developed rapidly and grew to immense 
proportions. The factories now cover sixty- 
two acres of ground and employ many thou- 
sands of men. 



John McAllister schofield, an 
American general, was born in Chautau- 
qua county, New York, September 29, 1831. 
He graduated at West Point in 1853, and 
was for five years assistant professor of nat- 
ural philosophy in that institution. In 1861 
he entered the volunteer service as major of 
the First Missouri Volunteers, and was ap- 
pointed chief of staff by General Lyon, under 
whom he fought at the battle of Wilson's 
Creek. In November, 1861, he was ap- 
pointed brigadier-general of volunteers, and 
was placed in command of the Missouri 
militia until November, 1862, and of the 
army of the frontier from that time until 
1863. In 1862 he was made major-general 
of volunteers, and was placed in command of 
the Department of the Missouri, and in 1864 
of the Department of the Ohio. During the 
campaign through Georgia General Scho- 
field was in command of the Twenty-third 
Army Corps, and was engaged in most of the 
fighting of that famous campaign. Novem- 
ber 30, 1864, he defeated Hood's army at 
Franklin, Tennessee, and then joined Gen- 
eral Thomas at Nashville. He took part in 
the battle of Nashville, where Hood's army 
was destroyed. In January, 1865, he led 
his corps into North Carolina, captured 



Wilmington, fought the battle of Kingston, 
and joined General Sherman at Goldsboro 
March 22, 1865. He executed the details 
of the capitulation of General Johnston to 
Sherman, which practically closed the war. 
In June, 1868, General Schofield suc- 
ceeded Edwin M. Stanton as secretary of 
war, but was the next year appointed major- 
general of the United States army, and order- 
ed to the Department of the Missouri. From 
1870 to 1876 he was in command of the De- 
partment of the Pacific; from 1876 to 188 1 
superintendent of the West Point Military 
Academy; in 1883 he was in charge of the 
Department of the Missouri, and in 1886 of 
the division of the Atlantic. In 1888 he 
became general-in-chief of the United States 
army, and in February, 1895, was appoint- 
ed lieutenant-general by President Cleve- 
land, that rank having been revived by con- 
gress. In September, 1895, he was retired 
from active service. 



LEWIS WALLACE, an American gen- 
eral and famous author, was born ir* 
Brookville, Indiana, April 10, 1827. He 
served in the Mexican war as first lieutenant 
of a company of Indiana Volunteers. After 
his return from Mexico he was admitted to 
the bar, and practiced law in Covington and 
Crawfordsville, Indiana, until 1861. At the 
opening of the war he was appointed ad- 
jutant-general of Indiana, and soon after be- 
came colonel of the Eleventh Indiana Vol- 
unteers. He defeated a force of Confeder- 
ates at Rotnney, West Virginia, and was 
made brigadier-general in September, 1861. 
At the capture of Fort Donelson in 1862 he 
commanded a division, and was engaged in 
the second day's fight at Shiloh. In 1863 
his defenses about Cincinnati saved that city 
from capture by Kirby Smith. At Monoc- 
acy in July, 1864, he was defeated, but 



200 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



his resistance delayed the advance of Gen- 
eral Early and thus saved Washington from 
capture. 

General Wallace was a member of the 
court that tried the assassins of President 
Lincoln, and also of that before whom Cap- 
tain Henry Wirtz, who had charge of the 
Andersonville prison, was tried. In 1881 
General Wallace was sent as minister to 
Turkey. When not in official service he 
devoted much of his time to literature. 
Among his better known works are his 
"Fair God," "Ben Hur," "Prince of 
India," and a " Life of Benjamin Harrison." 



THOMAS FRANCIS BAYARD, an Ameri- 
can statesman and diplomat, was born 
at Wilmington, Delaware, October 29, 1828. 
He obtained his education at an Episcopal 
academy at Flushing, Long Island, and 
after a short service in a mercantile house in 
New York, he returned to Wilmington and 
entered his father's law office to prepare 
himself for the practice of that profession. 
He was admitted to the bar in 185 1. He 
was appointed to the office of United States 
district attorney for the state of Delaware, 
serving one year. In 1 869 he was elected to 
the United States senate, and continuously 
represented his state in that body until 1885, 
and in 1881, when Chester A. Arthur entered 
the presidential chair, Mr. Bayard was 
chosen president pro tempore of the senate. 
He had also served on the famous electoral 
commission that decided the Hayes-Tilden 
contest in 1876-7. In 1885 President Cleve- 
land appointed Mr. Bayard secretary of 
state. At the beginning of Cleveland's sec- 
ond term, in 1893, Mr. Bayard was selected 
for the post of ambassador at the court of 
St. James, London, and was the first to hold 
that rank in American diplomacy, serving 
until the beginning of the McKinley admin- 



istration. The questions for adjustment at 
that time between the two governments 
were the Behring Sea controversy and the 
Venezuelan boundary question. He was 
very popular in England because of his 
tariff views, and because of his criticism of 
the protective policy of the United States 
in his public speeches delivered in London, 
Edinburgh and other places, he received, in 
March, 1896, a vote of censure in the lower 
house of congress. 



JOHN WORK GARRETT, for so many 
<J years at the head of the great Baltimore 
& Ohio railroad system, was born in Balti- 
more, Maryland, July 31, 1820. His father, 
Robert Garrett, an enterprising merchant, 
had amassed a large fortune from a small 
beginning. The son entered Lafayette Col- 
lege in 1834, but left the following year and 
entered his father's counting room, and in 
1839 became a partner. John W. Gar- 
rett took a great interest in the develop- 
ment of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He 
was elected one of the directors in 1857, 
and was its president from 1858 until his 
death. When he took charge of the road 
it was in an embarrassed condition, but 
within a year, for the first time in its exist- 
ence, it paid a dividend, the increase in its 
net gains being $725,385. After the war, 
during which the road suffered much damage 
from the Confederates, numerous branches 
and connecting roads were built or acquired, 
until it reached colossal proportions. Mr. 
Garrett was also active in securing a regular 
line of steamers between Baltimore and 
Bremen,, and between the same port and 
Liverpool. He was one of the most active 
trustees of Johns Hopkins University, and a 
liberal contributor to the Young Men's 
Christian Association of Baltimore. He 
died September 26, 1884. 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRATHT. 



201 



Robert Garrett, the son of John W. 
Garrett, was born in Baltimore April 9, 
1847, and graduated from Princeton in 1867. 
He received a business education in the 
banking house of his father, and in 1871 
became president of the Valley Railroad of 
Virginia. He was made third vice-presi- 
dent of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 
1879, and first vice-president in 1881. He 
succeeded his father as president in 1884. 
Robert Garrett died July 29, 1896. 



CARL SCHURZ, a noted German-Ameri- 
can statesman, was born in Liblar, Prus- 
sia, March 2, 1829. He studied at the Uni- 
versity of Bonn, and in 1849 was engaged in 
an attempt to excite an insurrection at that 
place. After the surrender of Rastadt by 
the revolutionists, in the defense of which 
Schurz took part, he decided to emigrate to 
America. He resided in Philadelphia three 
years, and then settled in Watertown, Wis- 
consin, and in 1859 removed to Milwaukee, 
where he practiced law. On the organiza- 
tion of the Republican party he became a 
leader of the German element and entered 
the campaign for Lincoln in i860. He was 
appointed minister to Spain in 1861, but re- 
signed in December of that year to enter 
the army. He was appointed brigadier- 
general in 1862, and participated in the 
second battle of Bull Run, and also at 
Chancellorsville. At Gettysburg he had 
temporary command of the Eleventh Army 
Corps, and also took part in the battle of 
Chattanooga. 

After the war he located at St. Louis, 
and in 1869 was elected United States sena- 
tor from Missouri. He supported Horace 
Greeley for the presidency in 1872, and in 
the campaign of 1876, having removed to 
New York, he supported Hayes and the Re- 
publican ticket, and was appointed secre- 



tary of the interior in 1877. In 1881 he 
became editor of the "New York Evening 
Post," and in 1884 was prominent in his 
opposition to James G. Blaine, and became 
a leader of the "Mugwumps," thus assist- 
ing in the election of Cleveland. In the 
presidential campaign of 1S96 his forcible 
speeches in the interest of sound money 
wielded an immense influence. Mr. Schurz 
wrote a " Life of Henry Clay," said to be 
the best biography ever published of that 
eminent statesman. 



GEORGE F. EDMUNDS, an American 
statesman of national reputation, was 
born in Richmond, Vermont, February 1, 
1828. His education was obtained in the 
public schools and from the instructions of 
a private tutor. He was admitted to the 
bar, practiced law, and served in the state 
legislature from 1854 to 1859, during three 
years of that time being speaker of the lower 
house. He was elected to the state senate 
and acted as president pro tempore of that 
body in 1861 and 1862. He became promi- 
nent for his activity in the impeachment 
proceedings against-President Johnson, and 
was appointed to the United States senate 
to fill out the' unexpired term of Solomon 
Foot, entering that body in 1866. He was 
re-elected to the senate four times, and 
served on the electoral commission in 1877. 
He became president pro tempore of the 
senate after the death of President Garfield, 
and was the author of the bill which put an 
end to the practice of polygamy in the ter- 
ritory of Utah. In November, 1891, owing 
to impaired health, he retired from the sen- 
ate and again resumed the practice of law. 



LUCIUS Q. C. LAMAR, a prominent 
political leader, statesman and jurist, 
was born in Putnam county, Georgia, Sep- 



202 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY 



temberi7, 1825. He graduated from Emory 
College in 1845, studied law at Macon under 
Hon. A. H. Chappell, and was admitted to 
the bar in 1847. He moved to Oxford, 
Mississippi, in 1849, and was elected to a 
professorship in the State University. He 
resigned the next year and returned to Cov- 
ington, Georgia, and resumed the practice 
of law. In 1853 he was elected to the 
Georgia Legislature, and in 1854 he removed 
to his plantation in Lafayette county, Mis- 
sissippi, and was elected to represent his 
district in the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth 
congresses. He resigned in i860, and was 
sent as a delegate to the secession conven- 
tion of the state. He entered the Confed- 
erate service in 1S61 as lieutenant-colonel 
of the Nineteenth Regiment, and was soon 
after made colonel. In 1863 President 
Davis appointed him to an important diplo- 
matic mission to. Russia. In 1866 he was 
elected professor of political economy and 
social science in the State University, and 
was soon afterward transferred to the pro- 
fessorship of the law department. He rep- 
resented his district in the forty-third and 
forty-fourth congresses, and was elected 
United States senator from Mississippi in 
1877, and re-elected in 1882. In 1885, be- 
fore the expiration of his term, he was 
appointed by President Cleveland as secre- 
tary of the interior, which position he held 
until his appointment as associate justice of 
the United States supreme court, in 1888, 
in which capacity he served until his death, 
January 23, 1894. 



BENJAMIN PENHALLOW SHILLA- 
BER won fame in the world of 
humorists under the name of "Mrs. Parting- 
ton. " He was born in 1841 at Portsmouth, 
New Hampshire, and started out in life as a 
printer. Mr. Shillaber went to Dover, 



where he secured employment in a printing 
office, and from there he went to Demerara, 
Guiana, where he was employed as a com- 
positor in 1835-37. I n ^40 he became 
connected with the "Boston Post," and 
acquired quite a reputation as a humorist 
by his "Sayings of Mrs. Partington." He 
remained as editor of the paper until 1S50, 
when he printed and edited a paper of his 
own called the "Pathfinder," which he con- 
tinued until 1852. Mr. Shillaber be- 
came editor and proprietor of the "Carpet 
Bag," which he conducted during 1850-52, 
and then returned to the "Boston Post," 
with which he was connected until 1856. 
During the same time he was one of the 
editors of the "Saturday Evening Gazette," 
and continued in this line after he severed 
his connection with the "Post," for ten 
years. After 1866 Mr. Shillaber wrote for 
various newspapers and periodicals, and 
during his life published the following 
books: "Rhymes with Reason and Without," 
"Poems," "Life and Sayings of Mrs. Part- 
ington," "Knitting Work," and others. 
His death occurred at Chelsea, Massachu- 
setts, November 25, 1890. 



EASTMAN JOHNSON stands first among 
painters of American country life. He 
was born in Lovell, Maine, in 1824, and be- 
gan his work in drawing at the age of eight- 
een years. His first works were portraits, 
and, as he took up his residence in Wash- 
ington, the most famous men of the nation 
were his subjects. In 1846 he went to Bos- 
ton, and there made crayon portraits of 
Longfellow, Emerson, Sumner, Hawthorne 
and other noted men. In 1849 he went to 
Europe. He studied at Dusseldorf, Ger- 
many; spent a year at the Royal Academy, 
and thence to The Hague, where he spent 
four years, producing there his first pictures 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



203 



of consequence, "The Card -Players " and 
"The Savoyard." He then went to Paris, 
but was called home, after an absence from 
America of six years. He lived some time 
in Washington, and then spent two years 
among the Indians of Lake Superior. In 
1858 he produced his famous picture, "The 
Old Kentucky Home." He took up his 
permanent residence at New York at that 
time. His " Sunday Morning in Virginia " 
is a work of equal merit. He was espe- 
cially successful in coloring, a master of 
drawing, and the expression conveys with 
precision the thought of the artist. His 
portrayal of family life and child life is un- 
equalled. Among his other great works are 
"The Confab," "Crossing a Stream,' 
"Chimney Sweep," "Old Stage Coach," 
" The New Bonnet," " The Drummer Boy," 
•' Childhood of Lincoln," and a great vari- 
ety of equally familiar subjects. 



PIERCE GUSTAVE TOUTANT BEAU- 
REGARD, one of the most distin- 
guished generals in the Confederate army, 
was born near New Orleans, Louisiana, 
May 28, 181 8. He graduated from West 
Point Military Academy in 1838, and was 
made second lieutenant of engineers. He 
was with General Scott in Mexico, and dis- 
tinguished himself at Vera Cruz, Cerro 
Gordo, and the battles near the City of 
Mexico, for which he was twice brevetted. 
After the Mexican war closed he was placed 
in charge of defenses about New Orleans, 
and in i860 was appointed superintendent 
of the United States Military Academy at 
West Point. He held this position but a 
few months, when he resigned February 20, 
1 86 1, and accepted a commission of briga- 
dier-general in the Confederate army. He 
directed the attack on Fort Sumter, the 

first engagement of the Civil war. He was 
12 



in command of the Confederates at the first 
battle of Bull Run, and for this victory was 
made general. In 1862 he was placed in 
command of the Army of the Mississippi, 
and planned the attack upon General Grant 
at Shiloh, and upon the death of General 
Johnston he took command of the army 
and was only defeated by the timely arrival 
of General Buell with reinforcements. He 
commanded at Charleston and successfully 
defended that city against the combined at- 
tack by land and sea in 1863. In 1864 he 
was in command in Virginia, defeating Gen- 
eral Butler, and resisting Grant's attack 
upon Petersburg until reinforced from Rich- 
mond. During the long siege which fol- 
lowed he was sent to check General Sher- 
man's march to the sea, and was with Gen- 
eral Joseph E. Johnston when that general 
surrendered in 1865. After the close of the 
war he was largely interested in railroad 
management. In 1866 he was offered chief 
command of the Army of Roumania, and in 
1869, that of the Army of Egypt. He de- 
clined these offers. His death occurred 
February 20, 1893. 



HENRY GEORGE, one of America's 
most celebrated political economists, 
was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 
September 2, 1839. He received a common- 
school education and entered the high 
school in 1853, and then went into a mer- 
cantile office. He made several voyages on 
the sea, and settled in California in 1858. 
He then worked at the printer's trade for a 
number of years, which he left to follow the 
editorial profession. He edited in succession 
several daily newspapers, and attracted at- 
tention by a number of strong essays and 
speeches on political and social questions. 
In 1S71 he edited a pamphlet, entitled "Out 
Land and Policy," in which he outlined a 



\04 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY, 



theory, which has since made him sowidi u 
known. This was developed in " Progress 
.md Poverty," .1 book which soon attained a 
large i irculation on both sides oi the Allan 
tic, which has been extensively translated, 
In 1880 Mr, George located in New York, 
where he mixde his home, though he fre 
quentlj addressed audiences in ( ireal Britain, 
Ireland, Australia, and throughout the 
United States. In \ 886 he was nominated 
by the laboi organizations for mayor of New 
York, and made .1 campaign notable foi its 
development oi unexpected power. In 1887 he 
was candidate ol the Union I abor party for 
sei retai \ ol state ol New Y01 k rhese cam 
pa igns served to formulate the idea of a single 
tax and populari e the Australian ballot sys 
tern. Mi. George became .1 free trader in 
1 sss, a n, 1 in 1 89 • supported the election oi 
Grover Cleveland. His political .in,l eco 
nomic ideas, known as tli<' "single tax," 
have a large and growing support, but are 
not confined to tins country alone. He 
wrote numerous miscellaneous articles in 
support ol his principles, and also published: 
•■ riw l and Question, " "Social Problems," 
"Pi oteel ion oi Free (Trade, " " rhe Condi 
tion oi 1 abor, .in Open Letter to Pope Leo 
Mil .'• and •• Perplexed Philosopher." 

THOMAS \1 I \ W'PI KSiOlT - 11ns 
name is indissolubly connected with 
the history and development of the railwaj 
systems oi the United States. Mr. Scott 
was born December 28, 1823, .it 1 ondon, 
Franklin county, Pennsylvania, IK' was first 
regularly employed l>\ Major [ames Patton, 
the collector of tolls on the si. no road be 
tween Philadelphia and Columbia, Penn 
sylvania. He entered into the employ oi 
the Pennsyh ama Railroad Company in 1850, 
and went through .ill the different branches 
of work until he h.ul mastered .ill tin- details 



ol the office work, and in [858 he was ap- 
pointed general superintendent. Mr. Scott 
was the next year chosen vice president ol 
the road. This position at once brought 
him before the public, and the enterprise 
and ability displayed by him in its manage 
nient marked him as a leader among the 
railroad nun of the country . At the out 
bieak ol the rebellion in 1861, Mr. Scott 
was selected byGovernor Curtin as a mem 
ber of his staff , and placed in charge of the 
equipment and forwarding of the state troops 
to the seat ol war. On April 27, [861, the 

Secretary oi War desired to establish a new 
line ol load between the national capital 
and Philadelphia, (or the more expeditions 

transportation of troops. He called upon 
Mr, Seott to direct tins work, and the road 

by the way of Annapolis and IVrryville was 

completed in a marvelously short space ol 
time, t^n May 3, 1861, he was commis- 
sioned colonel of volunteers, and on the 23d 
of the same month the government railroads 
and telegraph lines were placed in his charge. 

Mi Seott was the first assistant socio!. n\ 

ol war ever appointed, and he took charge 
of this new post August 1, [861. In Janu- 
ary, [862, he was directed to organize 

transportation in the northwest, and in 

March he performed the same service on 
the western rivers. He resigned June 1. 
[862, awA resumed his direction oi affairs on 
the Pennsylvania Railroad, Colonel Scott 
directed the policy that seemed to Ins road 

the control of the western roads, and he 
came the president of the new company to 

operate those lines in iS,~i. For one year, 

from March, I87I, he was president of the 

Union Pacific Railroad, and in 1874 he suc- 
ceeded to the presidency of the Pennsyl- 
vania Company, lie projected the Texas 

Pacific Railroad .\\\A was tor many years its 
president. Colonel Scott's health tailed 



( I//'/ ND1UM "i- liJOGR !/■/// 






him and he re tigni d th< pn lidi n< v ol the 
road [line I nd died al his home in 

Darby, Pennsylvania, May 2 1, [881. 



ROBERT 'I OOMBS, an Ameri< an stafa 
man ol not >l n in VV ilk':, COUI1 

ty. Geo 1 fuly 2, 18 10. I le attended 
the University ol Gi orgia, and graduate d 
from Union ' illegi Schenei tady, New 
York, and then took a law course al the 
1 rsity of Virginia In 1 8 jo, before he 
had attained his majority, h< was admitted 
to the bar by special act of the legislature, 
and rose rapidly in bis profession, attracting 
the attention of the leading statesmen and 
judges of that time. If': raised a volunteer 
company for the Creek war, and served as 
i aptain to the clo ic He dto the 

gi lal an in 1 837, re ele< t< 'I in (842, 
and in 1 844 was ele< ted to ( ongri «, I le 
had b( n brougbl tip as a Jeffersonian 

Ol rat, but VOted for Ham SOU m [84O 

and for Clay in 1844, He made his firsl 
th< ' >■■• gon question, 
and immediately took rank with th< gr< 
debaters of that body. In \\ 
elected to the United States senate, and 
again in 1859, but when bis native state 
1 at in the senate 
and v. d to the Confederate eon 

t< d on the be il authority 
that bad it not been for a misunderstanding 
which could not be explained till too late he 
would fia-.e been elected president of the 
Confi deracy, f fe was app 
of tate by President Davis, but resigned 
after a few months and was commissioned 
ni ral in the ' onfederate army. 
If': won dit tinction at the second battle of 
Bull Run and at Sharpsburg, b 

oon after and returned to 
a. He organized the militia of 

.-.■nan, and 



liei gi n< ral ol thi itati troops He 
left the country al the closi ol the wai and 
did not return until 1 86j I le died Dcci m 
her t 5, [885. 

AUS1 IN ' ORBIN, one of thi 
railway magnate 1 of thi United I 
born July 11, [827, al Newport, New 

I lain), .hue lie Studied la .'/ '.villi Chief 

[ustii e ( ,11 thing and < ,• , .< inoi Ralph Ml I 
calf, and later too e in the I lai .■■■id 

Law School, where he graduated in 1 
He was admitted to the bar, and practiced 
law, with Governor Metcall as his partner, 
until Octobi r 12 1851 Mi ' orbin then 
removed to Davenport, Iowa, where hi r< 
mained until 1865, In 1854 he was a pari 
nei in the banking firm of Ma< 

and lati 1 he organic d the Firsl 
tional bank of Davenport, Iowa, which 
commenci d bu in< ss | in< so. 1 < ■ j, and 
which was the firsl national bank open for 
busini ss in the United Stat< a Mi ( orbin 
sold out his business in thi I lavenporl bank, 
and removed to New Voik in 1 865 and < om 
in' 11' ed business with partners undei the 
-,! ( 01 bin Banking ' ompat 

aft':r his i' '"'■ • al to *■ •• Vork lie bl 

ted in railroads, and bi came one of 
the leading railroad men of the country, 

'I lie development of thi 

as a summi 1 re ort. firsl brought dim 
I prominence, He buill a 

road from New York to the island, and 

built great hotel-, on its ocean front He 

I irned bis attention to Long I land, 

■ ured all the railroads and co 
dated them under one nt, became 

nt of the .. t< m, and undi 
trol Long I ad became I 
suburb of New York. His latest public 
acbievemei I I ion of the 

I, of Pel and 



206 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



during the same time he and his friends 
purchased the controlling interest of the 
New Jersey Central Railroad. He took it 
out of the hands of the receiver, and in 
three years had it on a dividend-paying 
basis. Mr. Corbin's death occurred June 
4, 1896. 

JAMES GORDON BENNETT, Sr., 
was one of the greatest journalists of 
America in his day. He was born Septem- 
ber 1, 1795, at New Mill, near Keith, Scot- 
land. At the age of fourteen he was sent 
to Aberdeen to study for the priesthood, 
but, convinced that he was mistaken in his 
vocation, he determined to emigrate. He 
landed at Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 18 19, 
where he attempted to earn a living by 
teaching bookkeeping. Failing in this he 
went to Boston and found employment as a 
proof reader. Mr. Bennett went to New 
York about 1822 and wrote for the news- 
papers. Later on he became assistant 
editor in the office of the "Charleston 
Courier, "but returned to New York in 1824 
and endeavored to start a commercial 
school, but was unsuccessful in this, and 
again returned to newspaper work. He 
continued in newspaper work with varying 
success until, at his suggestion, the "En- 
quirer" was consolidated with another 
paper, and became the "Courier and En- 
quirer," with James Watson Webb as 
editor and Mr. Bennett for assistant. At 
this time this was the leading American 
newspaper. He, however, severed his con- 
nection with this newspaper and tried, 
without success, other ventures in the line 
of journalism until May 6, 1835, when he 
issued the first number of the "New York 
Herald." Mr. Bennett wrote the entire 
paper, and made up for lack of news by his 
own imagination. The paper became popu- 



lar, and in 1838 he engaged European jour- 
nalists as regular correspondents. In 1841 
the income derived from his paper was at 
least one hundred thousand dollars. Dur- 
ing the Civil war the " Herald " had on its 
staff sixty-three war correspondents and the 
circulation was doubled. Mr. Bennett was 
interested with John W. Mackay in that great 
enterprise which is now known as the Mac- 
kay-Bennett Cable. He had collected for use 
in his paper over fifty thousand biographies, 
sketches and all manner of information re- 
garding every well-known man, which are 
still kept in the archives of the "Herald" 
office. He died in the city of New York in 
1872, and left to his son, James Gordon, 
Jr., one of the greatest and most profitable 
journals in the United States, or even in the 
world. 

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, a 
noted American, won distinction in the 
field of literature, in which he attained a 
world-wide reputation. He was born at 
Cambridge, Massachusetts, August 29, 1809. 
He received a collegiate education and grad- 
uated from Harvard in 1829, at the age of 
twenty, and took up the study of law and 
later studied medicine. Dr. Holmes at- 
tended several years in the hospitals of 
Europe and received his degree in 1836. 
He became professor of anatomy and phys- 
iology in Dartmouth in 1838, and re- 
mained there until 1847, when he was 
called to the Massachusetts Medical School 
at Boston to occupy the same chair, which 
position he resigned in 1882. The first 
collected edition of his poems appeared in 
1836, and his "Phi Beta Kappa Poems," 
"Poetry," in 1836; "Terpsichore," in 1843; 
"Urania," in 1846, and "Astrsea," won for 
him many fresh laurels. His series of 
papers in the "Atlantic Monthly," were: 



COMPENDIUM OF BTOGRAPHT. 



207 



"Autocrat of the Breakfast Table," "Pro- 
fessor at the Breakfast Table," "Poet at 
the Breakfast Table," and are a series of 
masterly wit, humor and pathos. Among 
hismedical papers and addresses, are: "Cur- 
rents and Counter-currents in the Medical 
Science," and "Borderland in Some Prov- 
inces of Medical Science." Mr. Holmes 
edited quite a number of works, of which 
we quote the following: "Else Venner, " 
"Songs in Many Keys," "Soundings from 
the Atlantic," "Humorous Poems," "The 
Guardian Angel," "Mechanism in Thoughts 
and Morals," "Songs of Many Seasons," 
"John L. Motley" — a memoir, "The Iron 
Gate and Other Poems," "Ralph Waldo 
Emerson," "A Moral Antipathy." Dr. 
Holmes visited England for the second time, 
and while there the degree of LL. D. 
was conferred upon him by the University 
of Edinburgh. His death occurred October 
7. 1894. 

RUFUS CHOATE, one of the most em- 
inent of America's great lawyers, was 
born October 1, 1799, at Essex, Massachu- 
setts. He entered Dartmouth in 181 5, 
and after taking his degree he remained as 
a teacher in the college for one year. He 
took up the study of law in Cambridge, and 
subsequently studied under the distinguished 
lawyer, Mr. Wirt, who was then United 
States attorney-general at Washington. Mr. 
Choatebegan the practice of law in Danvers, 
Massachusetts, and from there he went to 
Salem, and afterwards to Boston, Massa- 
chusetts. While living at Salem he was 
elected to congress in 1832, and later, in 
1 84 1, he was chosen United States senator 
to succeed Daniel Webster, Mr. Webster 
having been appointed secretary of state 
under William Henry Harrison. 

After the death of Webster, Mr- Choate 



was the acknowledged leader of the Massa- 
chusetts bar, and was looked upon by the 
younger members of the profession with an 
affection that almost amounted to a rever- 
ence. Mr. Choate's powers as an orator 
were of the rarest order, and his genius 
made it possible for him to enchant and in- 
terest his listeners, even while discussing the 
most ordinary theme. He was not merely 
eloquent on the subjects that were calculated 
to touch the feelings and stir the passions 
of his audience in themselves, but could at 
all times command their attention. He re- 
tired from active life in 1858, and was on 
his way to Europe, his physician having 
ordered a sea voyage for his health, but had 
only reached Halifax, Nova Scotia, when 
he died, July 13, 1858. 



D WIGHT L. MOODY, one of the most 
noted and effective pulpit orators and 
evangelists America has produced, was born 
in Northfield, Franklin county, Massachu- 
setts, February 5, 1837. He received but 
a meager education and worked on a farm 
until seventeen years of age, when he be- 
came clerk in a boot and shoe store in 
Boston. Soon after this he joined the Con- 
gregational church and went to Chicago, 
where he zealously engaged in missionary 
work among the poor classes. He met 
with great success, and in less than a year 
he built up a Sunday-school which numbered 
over one thousand children. When the 
war broke out he became connected with 
what was known as the "Christian Com- 
mission," and later became city missionary 
of the Young Men's Christian Association at 
Chicago. A church was built there for his 
converts and he became its unordained pas- 
tor. In the Chicago fire of 1871 the church 
and Mr. Moody's house and furniture, which 
had been given him, were destroyed. The 



208 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



church edifice was afterward replaced by a 
new church erected on the site of the old 
one. In 1873, accompanied by Ira D. 
Sankey, Mr. Moody went to Europe and 
excited great religious awakenings through- 
out England, Ireland and Scotland. In 
1875 they returned to America and held 
large meetings in various cities. They 
afterward made another visit to Great 
Britain for the same purpose, meeting with 
great success, returning to the United States 
in 1 884. Mr. Moody afterward continued 
his evangelistic work, meeting everywhere, 
with a warm reception and success. Mr. 
Moody produced a number of works, some 
of which had a wide circulation. 



JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN, a financier 
<J of world-wide reputation, and famous 
as the head of one of the largest banking 
houses in the world, was born April 17, 
1837, at Hartford, Connecticut. He re- 
ceived his early education in the English 
high school, in Boston, and later supple- 
mented this with a course in the University 
of Gottingen, Germany. He returned to 
the United States, in 1857, and entered the 
banking firm of Duncan, Sherman & Co., 
of New York, and, in i860, he became 
agent and attorney, in the United States, for 
George Peabody & Co., of London. He 
became the junior partner in the banking 
firm of Dabney, Morgan & Co., in 1864, 
and that of Drexel, Morgan & Co., in 1871. 
This house was among the chief negotiators 
of railroad bonds, and was active in the re- 
organization of the West Shore Railroad, 
and its absorption by the New York Central 
Railroad. It was conspicuous in the re- 
organization of the Philadelphia & Read- 
ing Railroad, in 1887, which a syndicate of 
capitalists, formed by Mr. Morgan, placed 
on a sound financial basis. After that time 



many other lines of railroad and gigantic 
financial enterprises were brought under Mr. 
Morgan's control, and in some respects it 
may be said he became the foremost financier 
of the century. 



THOMAS BRACKETT REED, one of 
the most eminent of American states- 
men, was born October 18, 1839, at Port- 
land, Maine, where he received his early 
education in the common schools of the 
city, and prepared himself for college. Mr. 
Reed graduated from Bowdoin College in 
i860, and won one of the highest honors of 
the college, the prize for excellence in Eng- 
lish composition. The following four years 
were spent by him in teaching and in the 
study of law. Before his admission to the 
bar, however, he was acting assistant pay- 
master in the United States navy, and 
served on the "tin-clad" Sybil, which pa- 
trolled the Tennessee, Cumberland and 
Mississippi rivers. After his discharge in 
1865, he returned to Portland, was admit- 
ted to the bar, and began the practice of his 
profession. He entered into political life, 
and in 1868 was elected to the legislature 
of Maine as a Republican, and in 1869 he 
was re-elected to the house, and in 1870 
was made state senator, from which he 
passed to attorney-general of the state. 
He retired from this office in 1873, and 
until 1877 he was solicitor for the city 
of Portland. In 1876 he was elected to 
the forty-fifth congress, which assembled 
in 1877. Mr. Reed sprung into prominence 
in that body by one of the first speeches 
which he delivered, and his long service in 
congress, coupled with his ability, gave him 
a national reputation. His influence each 
year became more strongly marked, and the 
leadership of his party was finally conceded 
to him, and in the forty-ninth and fiftieth 



COMPENDIUM OP BIOGRAPHY. 



209 



congresses the complimentary nomination 
for the speakership was tendered him by the 
Republicans. That party having obtained 
the ascendency in the fifty-first congress he 
was elected speaker on the first ballot, and 
he was again chosen speaker of the fifty- 
fourth and fifth-fifth congresses. As a 
writer, Mr. Reed contributed largely to the 
magazines and periodicals, and his book 
upon parliamentary rules is generally rec- 
ognized as authority on that subject. 



CLARA BARTON is a celebrated char- 
acter among what might be termed as 
the highest grade of philanthropists Amer- 
ica has produced. She was born on a farm 
at Oxford, Massachusetts, a daughter of 
Captain Stephen Barton, and was educated 
at Clinton, New York. She engaged in 
teaching early in life, and founded a free 
school at Bordentown, the first in New Jer- 
sey. She opened with six pupils, but the 
attendance had grown to six hundred up to 
1854, when she went to Washington. She 
was appointed clerk in the patent depart- 
ment, and remained there until the out- 
break of the Civil war, when she resigned 
her position and devoted herself to the al- 
leviation of the sufferings of the soldiers, 
serving, not in the hospitals, but on the bat- 
tle field. She was present at a number of 
battles, and after the war closed she origi- 
nated, and for some time carried on at her 
own expense, the search for missing soldiers. 
She then for several years devoted her time 
to lecturing on "Incidents of the War." 
About 1868 she went to Europe for her 
health, and settled in Switzerland, but on the 
outbreak of the Franco-German war she ac- 
cepted the invitation of the grand duchess 
of Baden to aid in the establishment of her 
hospitals, and Miss Barton afterward fol- 
lowed the German army She was deco- 



rated with the golden cross by the grand 
duke of Baden, and with the iron cross by 
the emperor of Germany. She aiso served 
for many years as president of the famous 
Red Cross Society and attained a world- 
wide reputation. 



CARDINAL JAMES GIBBONS, one of 
the most eminent Catholic clergymen 
in America, was born in Baltimore, Mary- 
land, July 23, 1834. He was given a 
thorough education, graduated at St. Charles 
College, Maryland, in 1857, and studied 
theology in St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, 
Maryland. In 1861 he became pastor of 
St. Bridget's church in Baltimore, and in 
1868 was consecrated vicar apostolic of 
North Carolina. In 1872 our subject be- 
came bishop of Richmond, Virginia, and 
five years later was made archbishop of Bal- 
timore. On the 30th of Tune, i885, he 
was admitted to the full degree of cardinal 
and primate of the American Catholic 
church. He was a fluent writer, and his 
book, " Faith of Our Fathers,' had a wide 
circulation. 

CHAUNCEY MITCHELL DEPEW.— 
This name is, without doubt, one of 
the most widely known in the United States. 
Mr. Depew was born April 23, 1834, at 
Peekskill, New York, the home of the Depew 
family for two hundred years. He attended 
the common schools of his native place, 
where he prepared himself to enter college. 
He began his collegiate course at Yale at 
the age of eighteen and graduated in 1856. 
He early took an active interest in politics 
and joined the Republican party at its for- 
mation. He then took up the study of law 
and went into the office of the Hon. Will- 
iam Nelson, of Peekskill, for that purpose, 
and in 1858 he was admitted to the bar. 



210 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



He was sent as a delegate by the new party 
to the Republican state convention of that 
year. He began the practice of his profes- 
sion in 1859, but though he was a good 
worker, his attention was detracted by the 
rampaign of i860, in which he took an act- 
ive part. During this campaign he gained 
his first laurels as a public speaker. Mr. 
Depew was elected assemblyman in 1862 
from a Democratic district. In 1863 he se- 
cured the nomination for secretary of state, 
and gained that post by a majority of thirty 
thousand. In 1866 he left the field of pol- 
itics and entered into the active practice 
of his law business as attorney for the 
New York & Harlem Railroad Company, 
and in 1869 when this road was consoli- 
dated with the New York Central, and 
called the New York Central & Hudson 
River Railroad, he was appointed the attor- 
ney for the new road. His rise in the rail- 
road business was rapid, and ten years after 
his entrance into the Vanderbilt system as 
attorney for a single line, he was the gen- 
eral counsel for one of the largest railroad 
systems in the world. He was also a 
director in the Lake Shore & Michigan 
Southern, Michigan Central, Chicago & 
Northwestern, St. Paul & Omaha, West 
Shore, and Nickel Plate railroad companies. 
In 1874 Mr. Depew was made regent of 
the State University, and a member of the 
commission appointed to superintend the 
erection of the capitol at Albany. In 1882, 
on the resignation of W. H. Vanderbilt 
from the presidency of the New York Cen- 
tral and the accession to that office by 
James H. Rutter, Mr. Depew was made 
second vice-president, and held that posi- 
tion until the death of Mr. Rutter in 1885. 
In this year Mr. Depew became the execu- 
tive head of this great corporation. Mr. 
Depew's greatest fame grew from his ability 



and eloquence as an orator and " after-din- 
ner speaker, " and it has been said by emi- 
nent critics that this country has never pro- 
duced his equal in wit, fluency and eloquence. 



PHILIP KEARNEY.— Among the most 
dashing and brilliant commanders in 
the United States service, few have outshone 
the talented officer whose name heads this 
sketch. He was born in New York City, 
June 2, 1815, and was of Irish ancestry and 
imbued with all the clash and bravery of the 
Celtic race. He graduated from Columbia 
College and studied law, but in 1837 ac ~ 
cepted a commission as lieutenant in the 
First United States Dragoons, of which his 
uncle, Stephen W. Kearney, was then colo- 
nel. He was sent by the government, 
soon after, to Europe to examine and report 
upon the tactics of the French cavalry. 
There he attended the Polytechnic School, 
at Samur, and subsequently served as a vol- 
unteer in Algiers, winning the cross of the 
Legion of Honor. He returned to the 
United States in 1840, and on the staff of 
General Scott, in the Mexican war, served 
with great gallantry. He was made a cap- 
tain of dragoons in 1846 and made major 
for services at Contreras and Cherubusco. 
In the final assault on the City of Mexico 
at the San Antonio Gate, Kearney lost an 
arm. He subsequently served in California 
and the Pacific coast. In 1851 he resigned 
his commission and went to Europe, where 
he resumed his military studies. In the 
Italian war, in 1859, he served as a volun- 
teer on the staff of General Maurier, of the 
French army, and took part in the battles 
of Solferino and Magenta, and for bravery 
was, for the second time, decorated with 
the cross of the Legion of Honor. On the 
opening of the Civil war he hastened home, 
and, offering his services to the general gov- 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



211 



ernment, was made brigadier-general of 
volunteers and placed in command of a bri- 
gade of New Jersey troops. In the cam- 
paign under McClellan he commanded a di- 
vision, and at Williamsburg and Fair Oaks 
his services were valuable and brilliant, as 
well as in subsequent engagements. At 
Harrison's Landing he was made major-gen- 
eral of volunteers. In the second battle of 
Bull Run he was conspicuous, and at the 
battle of Chantilly, September i, 1862, 
while leading in advance of his troops, Gen- 
eral Kearney was shot and killed. 



RUSSELL SAGE, one of the financial 
giants of the present century and for 
more than an average generation one of the 
most conspicuous and celebrated of Ameri- 
cans, was born in a frontier hamlet in cen- 
tral New York in August, 18 16. While Rus- 
sell was still a boy an elder brother, Henry 
Risley Sage, established a small grocery 
store at Troy, New York, and here Russell 
found his first employment, as errand boy. 
He served a five-years apprenticeship, and 
then joined another brother, Elisha M. Sage, 
in a new venture in the same line, which 
proved profitable, at least for Russell, who 
soon became its sole owner. Next he 
formed the partnership of Sage & Bates, 
and greatly extended his field of operations. 
At twenty-five he had, by his own exertions, 
amassed what was, in those days, a consid- 
erable fortune, being worth about seventy- 
five thousand dollars. He had acquired an 
influence in local politics, and four years 
later his party, the Whigs, elected him to 
the aldermanic board of Troy and to the 
treasuryship of Rensselaer county. In 1848 
he was a prominent member of the New 
York delegation to the Whig convention at 
Philadelphia, casting his first votes for Henry 
Clay, but joining the "stampede" which 



nominated Zachary Taylor. In 1850 the 
Whigs of Troy nominated him for congress, 
but he was not elected — a failure which he 
retrieved two years later, and in 1854 he 
was re-elected by a sweeping majority. At 
Washington he ranked high in influence and 
ability. Fame as a speaker and as a polit- 
ical leader was within his grasp, when he 
gave up public life, declined a renomination 
to congress, and went back to Troy to de- 
vote himself to his private business. Six 
years later, in 1863, he removed to New 
York and plunged into the arena of Wall 
street. A man of boundless energy and 
tireless pertinacity, with wonderful judg- 
ment of men and things, he soon took his 
place as a king in finance, and, it is said, 
during the latter part of his life he con- 
trolled more ready money than any other 
single individual on this continent. 



ROGER QUARLES MILLS, a noted 
United States senator and famous as the 
father of the "Mills tariff bill, "was born 
in Todd county, Kentucky, March 30, 1832. 
He received a liberal education in the com- 
mon schools, and removed to Palestine, 
Texas, in 1849. He took up the study of 
law, and supported himself by serving as an 
assistant in the post-office, and in the offices 
of the court clerks. In 1850 he was elected 
engrossing clerk of the Texas house of rep- 
resentatives, and in 1852 was admitted to 
the bar, while still a minor, by special act 
of the legislature. He then settled at Cor- 
sicana, Texas, and began the active prac- 
tice of his profession. He was elected to 
the state legislature in 1859, and in 1872 he 
was elected to congress from the state at 
large, as a Democrat. After his first elec- 
tion he was continuously returned to con- 
gress until he resigned to accept the posi- 
tion of United States senator, to which he 



212 



C OMPENDIUM OF ' BIO GRA PHY. 



was elected March 23, 1892, to succeed 
Hon. Horace Chilton. He took his seat in 
the senate March 30, 1892; was afterward 
re-elected and ranked among the most use- 
ful and prominent members of that body. 
In 1876 he opposed the creation of the elec- 
toral commission, and in 1887 canvassed 
the state of Texas against the adoption of 
a prohibition amendment to its constitution, 
which was defeated. He introduced into 
the house of representatives the bill that was 
known as the "Mills Bill," reducing duties 
on imports, and extending the free list. 
The bill passed the house on July 21, 1888, 
and made the name of "Mills" famous 
throughout the entire country. 



HAZEN S. PINGREE, the celebrated 
Michigan political leader, was born in 
Maine in 1842. Up to fourteen years of 
age he worked hard on the stony ground of 
his father's small farm. Attending school 
in the winter, he gained a fair education, 
and when not laboring on the farm, he 
found employment in the cotton mills in the 
vicinity. He resolved to find more steady 
work, and accordingly went to Hopkinton, 
Massachusetts, where he entered a shoe fac- 
tory, but on the outbreak of the war he en- 
listed at once and was enrolled in the First 
Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. He partici- 
pated in the battle of Bull Run, which was 
his initial fight, and served creditably his 
early term of service, at the expiration of 
which he re-enlisted. He fought in the, 
battles of Fredricksburg, Harris Farm, 
Spottsylvania Court House and Cold Har- 
bor. In 1864 he was captured by Mosby, 
and spent five months at Andersonville, 
Georgia, as a prisoner, but escaped at the 
end of that time. He re-entered the service 
and participated in the battles of Fort 
Fisher, Boyden, and Sailor's Creek. He I 



was honorably mustered out of service, and 
in 1866 went to Detroit, Michigan, where 
he made use of his former experience in a 
shoe factory, and found work. Later he 
formed a partnership with another workman 
and started a small factory, which has since 
become a large establishment. Mr. Pin- 
gree made his entrance into politics in 1889, 
in which year he was elected by a surpris- 
ingly large majority as a Republican to the 
mayoralty of Detroit, in which office he was 
the incumbent during four consecutive terms. 
In November, 1896, he was elected gov- 
ernor of the state of Michigan. While 
mayor of Detroit, Mr. Pingree originated 
and put into execution the idea of allowing 
the poor people of the city the use of va- 
cant city lands and lots for the purpose of 
raising potatoes. The idea was enthusiast- 
ically adopted by thousands of poor families, 
attracted wide attention, and gave its author 
a national reputation as "Potato-patch Pin- 
gree." 

THOMAS ANDREW HENDRICKS, an 
eminent American statesman and a 
Democratic politician of national fame, was 
born in Muskingum county, Ohio, Septem- 
ber 7, 1 8 19. In 1822 he removed, with his 
father, to Shelby county, Irtdiana. He 
graduated from the South Hanover College 
in 1 841, and two years later was admitted 
to the bar. In 185 I he was chosen a mem- 
ber of the state constitutional convention, 
and took a leading part in the deliberations 
of that body. He was elected to congress 
in 185 1, and after serving two terms was 
appointed commissioner of the United States 
general land-office. In 1863 he was elected 
to the United States senate, where his dis- 
tinguished services commanded the respect 
of all parties. He was elected governor of 
Indiana in 1872, serving four years, and in 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



213 



1876 was nominated by the Democrats as 
candidate for the vice-presidency with Til- 
den. The returns in a number of states 
were contested, and resulted in the appoint- 
ment of the famous electoral commission, 
which decided in favor of the Republican 
candidates. In 1884 Mr. Hendricks was 
again nominated as candidate for the vice- 
presidency, by the Democratic party, on the 
ticket with Grover Cleveland, was elected, 
and served about six months. He died at 
Indianapolis, November 25, 1885. Hewas 
regarded as one of the brainiest men in the 
party, and his integrity was never ques- 
tioned, even by his political opponents. 



GARRETT A. HOBART, one of the 
many able men who have held the 
high office of vice-president of the United 
States, was born June 3, 1844, in Mon- 
mouth county, New Jersey, and in i860 en- 
tered the sophomore class at Rutgers Col- 
lege, from which he graduated in 1863 at 
the age of nineteen. He then taught 
school until he entered the law office of 
Socrates Tuttle, of Paterson, New Jersey, 
with whom he studied law. and in 1869 
was admitted to the bar. He immediately 
began the active practice of his profession 
in the office of the above named gentleman. 
He became interested in political life, and 
espoused the cause of the Republican party, 
and in 1865 held his first office, serving as 
clerk for the grand jury. He was also city 
counsel of Paterson in 1871, and in May, 
1872, was elected counsel for the board of 
chosen freeholders. He entered the state 
legislature in 1873, and was re-elected to 
the assembly in 1874. Mr. Hobart was 
made speaker of the assembly in 1876, and 
and in 1879 was elected to the state senate. 
After serving three years in the same, he 
was elected president of. that body in 1881, 



and the following year was re-elected to 
that office. He was a delegate-at-large to 
the Republican national convention in 1876 
and 1880, and was elected a member of the 
national committee in 1884, which position 
he occupied continuously until 1896. He 
was then nominated for vice-president by 
the Republican national convention, and 
was elected to that office in the fall of 1896 
on the ticket with William McKinley. 



WILLIAM MORRIS STEWART, noted 
as a political leader and senator, was 
born in Lyons, Wayne county, New York, 
August 9, 1827, and removed with his par- 
ents while still a small child to Mesopota- 
mia township, Trumbull county, Ohio. He 
attended the Lyons Union school and Farm- 
ington Academy, where he obtained his ed- 
ucation. Later he taught mathematics in 
the former school, while yet a pupil, and 
with the little money thus earned and the 
assistance of James C. Smith, one of the 
judges of the supreme court of New York, 
he entered Yale College. He remained 
there until the winter of 1849-50, when, at- 
tracted by the gold discoveries in California 
he wended his way thither. He arrived at 
San Francisco in May, 1850, and later en- 
gaged in mining with pick and shovel in Ne- 
vada county. In this way he accumulated 
some money, and in the spring of 1852 he 
took up the study of law under John R. 
McConnell. The following December he 
was appointed district attorney, to which 
office he was chosen at the general election 
of the next year. In 1854 he was ap- 
pointed attorney-general of California, and 
in i860 he removed to Virginia City, Ne- 
vada, where he largely engaged in early 
mining litigation. Mr. Stewart was also in- 
terested in the development of the "Corn- 
stock lode," and in 1861 was chosen a 



214 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



member of the territorial council. He was 
elected a member of the constitutional con- 
vention in 1863, and was elected United 
States senator in 1864, and re-elected in 
1869. At the expiration of his term in 
1875, he resumed the practice of law in 
Nevada, California, and the Pacific coast 
generally. He was thus engaged when he 
was elected again to the United States sen- 
ate as a Republican in 1887 to succeed the 
late James G. Fair, a Democrat, and took 
his seat March 4, 1887. On the expiration 
of his term he was again re-elected and be- 
came one of the leaders of his party in con- 
gress. His ability as an orator, and the 
prominent part he took in the discussion of 
public questions, gained him a national rep- 
utation. 

GEORGE GRAHAM VEST, for many 
years a prominent member of the 
United States senate, was born in Frank- 
fort, Kentucky, December 6, 1848. He 
graduated from Center College in 1868, and 
from the law department of the Transyl- 
vania University of Lexington, Kentucky, 
in 1853. In the same year he removed to 
Missouri and began the practice of his pro- 
fession, In i860 he was an elector on the 
Democratic ticket, and was a member of 
the lower house of the Missouri legislature 
in 1860-61. He was elected to the Con- 
federate congress, serving two years in the 
lower house and one in the senate. He 
then resumed the practice of law, and in 
1879 was elected to the senate of the United 
States to succeed James Shields. He was 
re-elected in 1885, and again in 1891 and 
1897. His many years of service in the 
National congress, coupled with his ability 
as a speaker and the active part he took in 
the discussion of public questions, gave him 
a wide reputation. 



HANNIBAL HAMLIN, a noted American 
statesman, whose name is indissolubly 
connected with the history of this country, 
was born in Paris, Maine, August 27, 1809. 
He learned the printer's trade and followed 
that calling for several years. He then 
studied law, and was admitted to practice 
in 1833. He was elected to the legislature 
of the state of Maine, where he was several 
times chosen speaker of the lower house. 
He was elected to congress by the Demo- 
crats in 1843, and re-elected in 1845. In 
1848 he was chosen to the United States 
senate and served in that body until 1861. 
He was elected governor of Maine in 1857 
on the Republican ticket, but resigned when 
re-elected to the United States senate 
the same year. He was elected vice-presi- 
dent of the United States on the ticket with 
Lincoln in i860, and inaugurated in March, 
1 861. In 1865 he was appointed collector 
of the port of Boston. Beginning with 
1869 he served two six-year terms in the 
United States senate, and was then ap- 
pointed by President Garfield as minister to 
Spain in 1881. His death occurred July 4, 
1891. 

TSHAM G. HARRIS, famous as Confed- 
1 erate war governor of Tennessee, and 
distinguished by his twenty years of service 
in the senate of the United States, was 
born in Franklin county, Tennessee, and 
educated at the Academy of Winchester. 
He then took up the study of law, was ad- 
mitted to the bar, and commenced practice 
at Paris, Tennessee, in 1841. He was 
elected to the state legislature in 1847, was 
a candidate for presidential elector on the 
Democratic ticket in 1848, and the next 
year was elected to congress from his dis- 
trict, and re-elected in 185 1. In 1853 he 
was renominated by the Democrats of his 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



215 



district, but declined, and removed to Mem- 
phis, where he took up the practice of law. 
He was a presid.ntial elector-at-large from 
Tennessee in 1856, and was elected gov- 
ernor of the state the next year, and. again 
in 1859, and in 1861. He was driven from 
Nashville by the advance of the Union 
armies, and for the last three years of the 
war acted as aid upon the staff of the com- 
manding general of the Confederate army 
of Tennessee. After the war he went to 
Liverpool, England, where he became a 
merchant, but returned to Memphis in 1867, 
and resumed the practice of law. In 1877 
he was elected to the United States senate, 
to which position he was successively re- 
elected until his death in 1897. 



NELSON DINGLEY, Jr., for nearly a 
quarter of a century one of the leaders 
in congress and framer of the famous 
" Dingley tariff bill," was born in Durham, 
Maine, in 1832. His father as well as all 
his ancestors, were farmers, merchants and 
mechanics and of English descent. Young 
Dingley was given the advantages first of 
the common schools and in vacations helped 
his father in the store and on the farm. 
When twelve years of age he attended high 
school and at seventeen was teaching in a 
country school district and preparing him- 
self for college. The following year he en- 
tered Waterville Academy and in 185 1 en- 
tered Colby University. After a year and a 
half in this institution he entered Dart- 
mouth College and was graduated in 1855 
with high rank as a scholar, debater and 
writer. He next studied law and was ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1856. But instead of 
practicing his profession he purchased the 
" Lewistown (Me.) Journal," which be- 
came famous throughout the New England 
?fates as a leader in the advocacy of Repub- 



lican principles. About the same time Mr. 
Dingley began his political career, although 
ever after continuing at the head of the 
newspaper. He was soon elected to the 
state legislature and afterward to the lower 
house of congress, where he became a 
prominent national character. He also 
served two terms as governor of Maine. 



OLIVER PERRY MORTON, a distin- 
guished American statesman, was born 
in Wayne county, Indiana, August 4, 1823. 
His early education was by private teaching 
and a course at the Wayne County Seminary. 
At the age of twenty years he entered the 
Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, and at 
the end of two years quit the college, began 
the study of law in the office of John New- 
man, of Centerville, Indiana, and was ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1847. 

Mr. Morton was elected judge on the 
Democratic ticket, in 1852, but on thi. 
passage of the " Kansas-Nebraska Bill " he 
severed his connection with that party, and 
soon became a prominent leader of the Re- 
publicans. He was elected governor of In- 
diana in 1 86 1, and as war governor became 
well known throughout the country. He 
received a paralytic stroke in 1865, which 
partially deprived him of the use of his 
limbs. He was chosen to the United States 
senate from Indiana, in 1867, and wielded 
great influence in that body until the time 
of his death, November 1, 1877. 



JOHN B. GORDON, a brilliant Confeder- 
ateofficer and noted senatorof theUnited 
States, was born in Upson county, Georgia, 
February 6, 1832. He graduated from the 
State University, studied law, and took up 
the practice of his profession. At the be- 
ginning of the war he entered the Confederate 
service as captain of infantry, and rapidly 



216 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHT. 



rose to the rank of lieutenant-general, 
commanding one wing of the Confederate 
army at the close of the war. In 1868 he 
was Democratic candidate for governor of 
Georgia, and it is said was elected by a large 
majority, but his opponent was given the 
office. He was a delegate to the national 
Democratic conventions in 1868 and 1872, 
and a presidential elector both years. In 
1873 he was elected to the United States 
senate. In 1886 he was elected governor 
of Georgia, and re-elected in 1888. He 
was again elected to the United States 
senate in 1890, serving until 1897, when he 
was succeeded by A. S. Clay. He was 
regarded as a leader of the southern Democ- 
racy, and noted for his fiery eloquence. 



STEPHEN JOHNSON FIELD, an illus- 
trious associate justice of the supreme 
court of the United States, was born at 
Haddam, Connecticut, November 4, 18 16, 
being one of the noted sons of Rev. D. 
D. Field. He graduated from Williams 
College in 1837, took up the study of law 
with his brother, David Dudley Field, be- 
coming his partner upon admission to the 
bar. He went to California in 1849, and at 
once began to take an active interest in the 
political affairs of that state'. He was 
elected alcalde of Marysville, in 1850, and 
in the autumn of the same year was elected 
to the state legislature. In 1857 he was 
elected judge of the supreme court of the 
state, and two years afterwards became its 
chief justice. In 1863 he was appointed by 
President Lincoln as associate justice of the 
supreme court of the United States. During 
his incumbency, in 1873, he was appointed 
by the governor of California one of a com- 
mission to examine the codes of the state 
and for the preparation of amendments to 
the same for submission to the legislature. 



In 1877 he was one of the famous electoral 
commission of fifteen members, and voted 
as one of the seven favoring the election of 
Tilden to the presidency. In 1880 a large 
portion of the Democratic party favored his 
nomination as candidate for the presidency. 
He retired in the fall of 1897, having 
served a greater number of years on the 
supreme bench than any of his associates or 
predecessors, Chief Justice Marshall coming 
next in length of service. 



JOHN T. MORGAN, whose services in 
the United States senate brought him 
into national prominence, was born in 
Athens, Tennessee, June 20, 1824. At the 
age of nine years he emigrated to Alabama, 
where he made his permanent home, and 
where he received an academic education. 
He then took up the study of law, and was 
admitted to the bar in 1845. He took a 
leading part in local politics, was a presi- 
dential elector in i860, casting his ballot 
for Breckenridge and Lane, and in 1861 
was a delegate to the state convention which 
passed the ordinance of secession. In May, 
of the same year, he joined the Confederate 
army as a private in Company I, Cahawba 
Rifles, and was soon after made major and 
then lieutenant-colonel of the Fifth Regiment. 
In 1862 he was commissioned colonel, and 
soon after made brigadier-general and as- 
signed to the command of a brigade in Vir- 
ginia. He resigned to join his old regiment 
whose colonel had been killed. He was 
soon afterward again made brigadier-gen- 
eral and given command of the brigade that 
included his regiment. 

After the war he returned to the prac- 
tice of law, and continued it up to the time 
of his election to the United States senate, ip 
1877. He was a presidential elector in 1876 
and cast his vote for Tilden and Hendricks 



COMPENDIUM OP BIOGRAPHY. 



217 



He was re-elected to the senate in 1S83, 
and again in 1889, and 1895. His speeches 
and the measures he introduced, marked 
as they were by an intense Americanism, 
brought him into national prommence. 



WILLIAM McKINLEY.the twenty-fifth 
president of the United States, was 
born at Niles, Trumbull county, Ohio, Jan- 
uary 29, 1844. He was of Scotch-Irish 
ancestry, and received his early education 
in a Methodist academy in *he small village 
of Poland, Ohio. At the outbreak of the 
war Mr. McKinley was teaching school, 
earning twenty-five dollars per month. As 
soon as Fort Sumter was fired upon he en- 
listed in a company that was formed in 
Poland, which was inspected and mustered 
in by General John C. Fremont, who at 
first objected to Mr. McKinley, as being too 
young, but upon examination he was finally 
accepted. Mr. McKinley was seventeen 
when the war broke out but did not look his 
age. He served in the Twenty-third Ohio 
Infantry throughout the war, was promoted 
from sergeant to captain, for good conduct 
on the field, and at the close of the war, 
for meritorious services, he was brevetted 
major. After leaving the army Major Mc- 
Kinley took up the study of law, and was 
admitted to the bar, and in 1869 he took 
his initiation into politics, being elected pros- 
ecuting attorney of his county as a Republi- 
can, although the district was usually Demo- 
cratic. In 1 876 he was elected to congress, ' 
and in a call upon the President-elect, Mr. 
Hayes, to whom he went for advice upon the 
way he should shape his career, he was 
told that to achieve fame and success he 
must take one special line and stick to it. 
Mr. McKinley chose tariff legislation and 
he became an authority in regard to import 
duties. He was a member of congress for 



many years, became chairman of the ways 
and means committee, and later he advo- 
cated the famous tariff bill that bore his 
name, which was passed in 1890. In the 
next election the Republican party was 
overwhelmingly defeated through the coun- 
try, and the Democrats secured more than 
a two thirds majority in the lower house, 
and also had control of the senate, Mr. 
McKinley being defeated in his own district 
by a small majority. He was elected gov- 
ernor of Ohio in 1891 by a plurality of 
twenty-one thousand, five hundred and 
eleven, and two years later he was re-elected 
by the still greater plurality of eighty thou- 
sand, nine hundred and ninety-five. He was 
a delegate-at-large to the Minneapolis Re> 
publican convention in 1892, and was in- 
structed to support the nomination of Mr. 
Harrison. He was chairman of the con^ 
vention, and was the only man from Ohio 
to vote for Mr. Harrison upon the roll call. 
In November, 1892, a number of prominent 
politicians gathered in New York to discuss 
the political situation, and decided that the 
result of the election had put an end to Mc- 
Kinley and McKinleyism. But in less than 
four years from that date Mr. McKinley was 
nominated for the presidency against the 
combined opposition of half a dozen rival 
candidates. Much of the credit for his suc- 
cess was due to Mark A. Hanna, of Cleve- 
land, afterward chairman of the Republican 
national committee. At the election which 
occurred in November, 1896, Mr. McKinley 
was elected president of the United States 
by an enormous majority, on a gold stand- 
ard and protective tariff platform. He was 
inaugurated on the 4th of March, 1897, 
and called a special session of congress, to 
which was submitted a bill for tariff reform, 
which was passed in the latter part of July 
of that vear. 



218 



COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 



CINCINNATUS HEINE MILLER, 
known in the literary world as Joaquin 
Miller, " the poet of the Sierras," was born 
at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1841. When only 
about thirteen years of age he ran away 
from home and went to the mining regions 
in California and along the Pacific coast. 
Some time afterward he was taken prisoner 
by the Modoc Indians and lived with them 
for five years. He learned their language 
and gained great influence with them, fight- 
ing in their wars, and in all modes of living 
became as one of them. In 1858 he left 
the Indians and went to San Francisco, 
where he studied law, and in i860 was ad- 
mitted to the bar in Oregon. In 1866 he 
was elected a county judge in Oregon and 
served four years. Early in the seventies 
he began devoting a good deal of time to 
literary pursuits, and about 1874 he settled 
in Washington, D. C. He wrote many 
poems and dramas that attracted consider- 
able attention and won him an extended 
reputation. Among his productions may be 
mentioned "Pacific Poems," "Songs of the 
Sierras," "Songs of the Sun Lands," 
' ' Ships in the Desert, " ' ' Adrianne, a Dream 
of Italy," "Danites," "Unwritten History," 
" First Families of the Sierras " (a novel), 
" One Fair Woman " (a novel), " Songs of 
Italy," " Shadows of Shasta," "The Gold- 
Seekers of the Sierras," and a number of 
others. 

GEORGE FREDERICK ROOT, a 
noted music publisher and composer, 
was born in Sheffield, Berkshire county, 
Massachusetts, on August 30, 1S20. While 
working on his father's farm he found time 
10 learn, unaided, several musical instru- 
ments, and in his eighteenth year he went 
to Boston, where he soon found employ- 
ment as a teacher of music. From 1839 



until 1844 he gave instructions in music in 
the public schools of that city, and was also 
director of music in two churches. Mr. 
Root then went to New York and taught 
music in the various educational institutions 
of the city. He went to Paris in 1850 and 
spent one year there in study, and on his re- 
turn he published his first song, "Hazel 
Dell." It appeared as the work of " Wur- 
zel," which was the German equivalent of 
his name. He was the originator of the 
normal musical institutions, and when the 
first one was started in New York he 
was one of the faculty. He removed to 
Chicago, Illinois, in i860, and established 
the firm of Root & Cady, and engaged in 
the publication of music. He received, in 
1872, the degree of " Doctor of Music " 
from the University of Chicago. After the 
war the firm became George F. Root & Co., 
of Cincinnati and Chicago. Mr. Root did 
much to elevate the standard of music in this 
country by his compositions and work as a 
teacher. Besides his numerous songs he 
wrote a great deal of sacred music and pub- 
lished many collections of vocal and instru- 
mental music. For many years he was the 
most popular song writer in America, and 
was one of the greatest song writers of the 
war. He is also well-known as an author, 
and his work in that line comprises: " Meth- 
ods for the Piano and Organ," "Hand- 
book on Harmony Teaching," and innumer- 
able articles for the musical press. Among 
his many and most popular songs of the 
war time are : ' ' Rosalie, the Prairie-flower, " 
" Battle Cry of Freedom," "Just Before the 
Battle," "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys 
are Marching," " The Old Folks are Gone," 
"A Hundred Years Ago," "Old Potomac 
Shore, "and " There's Music in the Air." Mr. 
Root's cantatas include ' ' The Flower Queen" 
and "The Haymakers." He died in 1896. 



PART II 



BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



OF 



Webster County 



IOWA 



BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



LORENZO S. COFFIN. 

Iowa has furnished her full quota of em- 
inent men to the nation, men of pronounced 
ability who have become leaders in states- 
craft, in commercial, industrial and profes- 
sional life, and others whose influence has 
been given for the amelioration of condi- 
tions that in any way oppose or hinder the 
development of their fellow men. Quiet and 
unostentatious in manner, seeking not self 
aggrandizement in any direction, Lorenzo 
S. Coffin has become known as one of the 
most honored sons of the Hawkeye state, 
not because he has won distinction in poli- 
tics, i r even because he has attained excep- 
tional success in business, but because bis 
efforts have been, and are still, unselfishly 
given for the benefit of his fellow men. Rec- 
ognizing the law of universal brotherhood, 
his sympathetic spirit has prompted action 
that, guided by sound practical judgment, 
lias resulted in great good. He has long 
since passed the Psalmist's span of three 
score years and ten, the snows of seventy- 
nine winters having fallen upon his head, 
but old age is not necessarily a synonym of 
weakness and it need not suggest as a mat- 
ter of course inactivity or helplessness. 
There is an old age which is a benediction 
to all with whom it comes in contact: that 
C'ives out of its riches stores of wisdom and 



experience and grows stronger mentally and 
spiritually as the days pass. Such is it with 
Lorenzo S. Coffin, whose career is a source 
of encouragement to his contemporaries and 
an abiding lesson to the young. 

In pioneer days of Webster county Mr. 
Coffin took up his abode within her borders. 
He was born in Alton, New Hampshire, 
April IO, [823, on the farm which was also 
the birthplace of his father, Stephen Coffin. 
The family is of English lineage, and at an 
early epoch in American development was 
founded in Massachusetts, whence the 
grandfather of our subject removed to the 
( iranite State, settling- on the farm on which 
both Stephen and Lorenzo Coffin were born. 
There he spent his remaining days, carrying 
on agricultural pursuits. His death oc- 
curred when he was about seventy-five 
years of age. In his family were nine chil- 
dren, all of whom reached mature years and 
reared families of their own. 

Stephen Coffin was trained to the work 
of the home farm and for many years car- 
ried on agricultural pursuits in Xew Hamp- 
shire. He was also a clergyman of the Bap- 
tist church and his influence was widely felt 
in behalf of Christianity. He died in Dover, 
New Hampshire, when about seventy-five 
years of age. His wife bore the maiden 
name of Deborah Philbrook and died at the 
age of thirty-eight. She was a native of 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Sanbornton, New Hampshire, represent- of the rnosl popular schools of the country 

ing an early family of sturdy pioneers. Her and he wenl there with the intention of pur 

father, David Philbrook, was bom at suing an extended course of study, bul re 

Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, and mained only a year and a half, 
spent the greater part of his life on the [n the meantime Mr. Coffin was united in 

farm ai Sanbornton. He lived to the ad- marriage to Miss Cynthia T. Curtis, and 

vanced age of more than ninety years a they went to Geauga county, Ohio, where 

noble Christian man who commanded the re- both engaged in teaching in the Geauga 

sped of all with whom he came in contact. Seminary. Among their pupils were James 

He Had eight sons and eight daughters, all A. Garfield and Lucretia Rudolph, his fu- 

nf whom reached mature years, and to each lure wile, who first met in that school. The 

lie gave good educational privileges, thus [ailing health of Mrs. Coffin obliged them to 

fitting them for life's practical duties. In give up teaching after one year's connection 

the family of Stephen and Deborah t Phil- with Geauga Seminary, and in the winter 

brook) Coffin were three daughters and a of [854-5 Mr. Coffin came t<> fowa imi ,1 

son: Catherine I'. Coffin was a teacher in business trip. Being pleased with Webster 

the seminar)' in Charleston, Massachusetts, county and the advantages it offered and 

She married Benjamin Stanton and both with linn faith in its future he resolved t<> 

engaged in educational work fur several locate here, lie secured a claim oi one 

years at Union College, Schenectady, New hundred and sixty anas, which he entered 

York. Christiana became the wife of Rev. when the government placed the land on 

I). 1'.. ('('well, nf Maine. She possessed con- the market, and thus began the development 

siderable poetical talent and was a writer of his line farm, to which he has added by 
for many magazines and papers. Her "I his line farm, to which he has added 
death occurred in 1863. Sarah, who was by subsequent purchases from time 1" 
the wife of Mr. l.ynde, died when alum! time until he now owns seven hundred 
sixty years of age. and twenty acres. The experience ill 
Upon his father's farm Lorenzo S. his boyhood and early manhood upon 
Coffin spent his youth and earlj became fa- the farm now proved very valuable to 
miliar with the labor of field and meadow. him. With characteristic energy he be- 
H is educational advantages at the time were gan the development of his land, and Wil- 
meager, hut later the family removed to lowwedge Farm is now one of the must d<- 
Wolfboro, New Hampshire, where he he sirable and valuable farming properties in 
came a student in the Wolfboro Academy, the state, supplied with all modern improve 
lie lost his mother when fourteen years of incuts and accessories. On the brow of the 
age hut continued at home until he had at hill about three miles from Fort Dodge, 
tained his majority, when he began work near which he decided to erect his build- 
ing as a farm hand in the home neighbor ings is a large spring of purest water, flow 

h 1, ami thus he acquired a sum sufficient ing continually, while other springs upon 

tn enable him to continue his education and the place feed the stream, the Lizzard, which 

prepare for teaching, a profession which he winds its way, bordered by magnificent for- 

followed with success for some time. < (ber est trees, through the farm. Mr. Coffin has 

lin College, of Oberlin, Ohio, was then one made a specialt) of the breeding and raising 



I HE BIOGR S.PHIC \l. RECORD, 



225 



of fine stock, and now owns one of the larg- 
esl and choicest herds of short horn cattle to 
be found in the west, keeping from one hun- 
dred to two hundred head. I fe alsi ■ breed 
for the market Poland-China hogs and Ox- 
ford Down sheep, generally keeping 
hundred and fifty to two hundred head of 
the former and two hundred and fifty or 
more of the latter. From two to five nun 
are employed upon the farm and the work 
it, under the immediate >upei ision of J. I. 
Rutledge, son-in-law of Mr. Coffin, who is 
3 joint owner in the stock on the farm. Mod- 
ern machinery, practical and improved 
methods and all conveniences and aco 
ies for facilitating the work are here found. 

Not long after coming to this home Mr. 
i was called upon to mourn lh< 
Of his wife, who died \pril 20, [856. In 
February, 1X57. he was again married, his 
second union being with Miss Mary 1 ha 1 
of Orleans county. New York. Three chil- 
dren were horn unto them, but one only liv- 
ing, Carrie C, the wife of J. 1. Rutledge. 
1 »ne child died in infancy and Kitty May 
died at the age of fourteen -ears. 

While successfully conducting his private 
business affair-. Mr. Coffin never confines 
his efforts selfishly to his work. From [859 
to [876 he used to leave his home Sunday 
mornings very early and on horseback 
would ride to differenl parts of the country, 
\ here no minister was sent, and pi each the 
Gospel. He would often ride forty miles 
and in return ne 1 da dollar it 

doing it all for the benefit of his fellow men, 
during which time he also conducted a great 
funerals. In the early days he was 
the edit< r of the agricultural department of 
the Fort Dodge Messenger and many have 
profited by his practical wisdom as set forth 
in the columns of that paper. For many 
years he was also an active member of the 



State Agricultural Society and labored 

earnestl; and efft ctivel it rction with 

thai organization to promote the inte ■ 

the farming people throughoul thi 

bul vhile his interest in the bje 

abated, other duties have made h( a di 

mands upon his time, Eon ing him to 

his work in that held to attend to more 

ng I lie had in the mi it 

served his count) loyally in the Civil war, 
enlisting in the fall of 1862 as a membei ol 
I ompany I. Thirl econd Iowa Infantry. 
I !e i 'ined lire arm) a • a pre. ale hut was 

promi -ted in turn to the office 1 
quartet ma tei et g< anl and < haplain 
ah' nt a < ear In- remained at the fronl 
then 1 eturned to in - h< me. 

Perhaps the work w ha h ha made Mr. 
( ^llii! up -t widely know n and which has 
been of the ho ad< I ben* fil to his fellow 

men is that in co tion with providing 

better condition for railroad 1 mpli yes. In 

I .ir [883 he ".a appl ' Govi 

nor Sherman to fill a vacanc) on tin- rail 
road 1 caused b 1 men! 

of the I Ion. James Wilson, and on tl ■ 
piration of that term in [885 wa 
appointed, < continuing in Hi. office until 
1888. It was during tin- period that Mr. 
Coffin became interested in 'hat . ha I 
making his life ..oil, pn rt • hap 

and improving the con rail 

road men. In speaking 01 
he sa\ - "] 

guiding of ah idence bringing 

me to the position where I might realizi 
condition of the great multitude of suffer- 
ing, helpless men. the misery of 
dirion seemed to he growing wi 
day, with no indication or hope of is grow- 
ing letter, and as I occupied the positii 
railroad commissioner, receiving reports 



226 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



continually from, all over the state and the 
United States of the terrible slaughter and 
crippling of the railroad men, I then for the 
first time saw the need for work in this field 
and determined by the help of God to do 
something to alleviate the suffering of those 
men." He then immediately began to in- 
vestigate more fully the conditions and 
surroundings of the railroad men of the 
country and to agitate the subject of the 
automatic brake and car coupler, and finally 
succeeded in securing the enactment of the 
law requiring them to be placed on all cars 
on lines in Iowa, which was passed by the 
Iowa state legislature in 1888. This was 
the first law ever enacted by any state for 
the safety of railroad men. The law was 
strongly opposed by the railroad companies. 
Railroad managers said its enforcement 
would cost them millions of dollars annu- 
ally and would do little, if anything, toward 
lessening the likelihood of accident. 
Through the efforts of Air. Coffin and the 
co-operation of societies of railroad em- 
ployes and df private citizens to whom the 
rec.i rd of railroad accidents was appalling, 
the law was finally passed, with the result 
that the number of accidents on railroads 
caused simply in the coupling of cars alone 
has been reduced three-fourths. 

To the compiler of this sketch Mr. 
Collin said: "To Iowa must be given the 
1 of enacting into law the first bill ever 
presented to any legislature for the safety 
of life and limb of railroad men." It was 
drafted by Air. Coffin and he says that he 
spent a full month on the bill. So anxious 
was he that the bill should be so drawn that 
no court could set it aside as unconstitu- 
tional, that he consulted with one of the 
judges of the Iowa supreme court on every 
section of it. Air. Coffin has the great satis- 
faction of knowing that from the day it be- 



came a law its constitutionality has never 
been questioned. He says that it went 
through the Iowa legislature with practi- 
cally a unanimous vote, not a vote against 
it in the senate and only three or four 
against it in the house. The roads were 
given five years to do- the work of equipping 
their cars with the safety appliances that 
the law required. But here came a great 
dilemma — all of the Iowa roads were inter- 
state roads and engaged in interstate traf- 
fic. Foreign cars from outside roads 
would, of course, have to- be equipped in 
the same maimer as the cars of the Iowa 
roads or they could not receive them, or 
else the lading must all be transferred 
from these foreign cars to 1 the Iowa cars. 
Here was a very serious problem to be 
faced. 

Air. Coffin said: "The only way to 
solve that problem that showed itself to me 
was through a way so strewn with vast diffi- 
culties that it was absolutely appalling and 
I dared not face it for a while. Yet it 
seemed to me it must be done. Some of 
the states adjoining Iowa copied my bill and 
made it into a law. If only all the states 
would do the same and not change a sec- 
tion it would be just the thing, but I could 
not expect that, and it would take a long 
while ti 1 gi 1 fn mi 1 me state to another to' get 
them to pass the same kind of a law. The 
more I thought of it. I made up my mind 
that it would be a practical impossibility, 
and so the alternative was forced on me 
that a national law must be had. Of course 
this meant that I must go to Washington 
and try to get a bill through congress. This 
seemed so utterly beyond all possibility for 
a man like me to accomplish that for awhile 
I thought that I would not undertake it, but 
I could not rest. In my dreams I would 
see these railroad men crushed between the 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



227 



ends of the cars, hear their awful screams 
as the iron wheels ground them to pieces 
under the cars. Finally I thought that I 
must try, or at least that I would go to Chi- 
cago and talk with some of the railroad 
officials there and ask their advice. I felt 
sure that the companies that ran roads 
through Iowa would like to have all other 
roads to equip their cars as theirs were to 
be, so there would be an easy interchange 
(if cars from one road to another. I 
thought that would help in this great move. 
To show how hopeless the undertaking was 
in their judgment I will relate what was 
said in my talk with Marvin Hughitt, presi- 
dent of the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- 
way. When I went into his office he was 
busy examining some papers, and after a 
little while he said in rather a sharp and 
vexed tone : 'Now, Mr. Coffin, as you have 
g< 't your state to enact that law, I want that 
you should go to every state adjoining Iowa 
and get them to enact such a law as Iowa 
lias.' I said that I realized the great im- 
portance of a uniform law and could see no 
way to secure it only through congress, and 
that I had about made up my mind to go 
down to Washington and get it to pass my 
bill. Mr. Hughitt dropped the papers he 
had in his hand on the table before him and 
looked at me with great amazement and 
said : 'Air. Coffin, congress is a great body ; 
you can't move that.' My after experience 
showed me how well that man judged of 
what, as he well thought, a wild under- 
taking, and how well he understood and 
appreciated the difficulties I would have to 
encounter. 

"In the spring of 1888 the interstate 
commerce commission, then just organized, 
invited what state railroad commissioners 
that were then created to come to Wash- 
ington and hold a conference. That noted 



jurist, Judge Cooley, of Michigan, was 
president of the national commission. Al- 
though my term of office had expired a few 
weeks before the date of that conference, 
cur state commission urged me to attend 
that meeting. I did so, and near the close 
of the last session of that meeting, by the 
request of a member of the Iowa board, I 
was asked by Judge Cooley to address the 
conference. This I, of course, did, giving 
them the mass of statistics I had been com- 
piling, which was new to them all. After 
I had sat down commissioners from 
other states gathered around and said : 'Mr. 
Coffin, you must be wrong, for we can't 
think that it is possible that there is such a 
fearful killing and maiming of our railroad 
men.' I assured them that they were ab- 
solutely correct, as far as Iowa was con- 
cerned, for they were from the reports of 
the roads themselves to our state board, as 
our law required them to report to us every 
accident to their men. 

"As but very few of the states had as 
yet required the roads to report as ours did, 
I had to get the number of killed and in- 
jured in other states by the rule of three. 
If Iowa, with so many miles of road, have 
so many accidents to their men, how many 
will all the miles in the nation give us? 
Afterward, from a talk with an old railroad 
man, I found that my basis of calculation 
was wrong, for I should have taken il by 
the number of engines, for on most all of 
the mads east there would be a great many 
m.ore trains a day than in the then sparsely 
settled Iowa. When I made my computa- 
tions on this basis the total was so awful 
that I clid not dare to give the exact figures 
to the public. Afterward Judge Cooley 
wrote me to give to his national commis- 
sion what facts and figures I had gathered 
up and what other information I had 



228 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. • 



gained on this matter in my live years of 
experience as a commissioner. I am telling- 
all this to you, sir, that yon may see, as I 
do, the wonderful way I was led on so as 
to have more and more of the standing be- 
fore the public and the powers that then 
were. Let it be understood all along that 
J now realized that I was only an instru- 
ment in the hand of God and the Father to 
be used by Him for a great good to the 
great army of railroad men who are now an 
absolute necessity to the prosperity of this 
great country. The information I sent to 
judge Cooley was by the request of Gen- 
eral Benjamin Harrison, then president- 
elect of the United States, sent to him. and 
used by him in his inaugural when 
he was sworn into his high office. He did 
it in these words : 'It is a disgrace to our 
civilization that men in a lawful employ- 
ment for a livelihood should be exposed to 
greater danger than soldiers in time of ac- 
tual war.' He very strongly recommended 
speedy action by congress. So you see how 
in this unthought of and unpremeditated 
way a mighty opening was made for me. 
Then I had two especially strong and influ- 
ential friends, one in each house of con- 
gress. One was W. B. Allison in the sen- 
ate, and Colonel David B. Henderson in 
the house, now its speaker. Here again 
was another of the series of special provi- 
dences that show so plainly all along the 
road, but of which I was not aware then, 
but now can see as clearly as the noonday 
sun. Some years before at one of the con- 
gressional elections it was a question 
whether Colonel Henderson would be re- 
turned, as he at that time bad a very strong 
competitor, and I suppose that it is no 
egotism in me to- say what was then pretty 
well understood to be the fact, that my in- 
fluence with the railroad bovs and with the 



farmers of his district had much to do with 
saving him. This had made him a firm 
friend and he was ready to aid me all in his 
power, which was great, and he wielded it 
to good advantage for the bill. "Well, the 
4th of March was coming on. I had been 
working on the bill for congress with a 
great deal of care and labor. I had been 
very anxious before the inauguration to 
have Mr. Harrison say a word for the boys 
in his address. I wanted to know how he 
felt, but never having met him, and there 
being such a throng around him, I could 
see no way to get to him to ask him to re- 
member the boys. Finally Colonel Hender- 
son gave me a letter to him, and so I had 
a chance to speak to him. His first words 
after reading the letter were, 'Well, what is 
it ?' In as few words as I could I told what 
I wanted. In an instant he replied, 'It is in 
there.' meaning' in his address, and those 
were his last words to me. I grasped his 
hand, thanked him with tears in my eyes 
and left. 

"Congress convened. My bills were in- 
troduced and referred to the committee on 
interstate commerce. For four long years 
I was in what was called the third house of 
congress, 'the lobby.' It is not necessary 
for me to try to tell you of the long strug- 
gle. It would fill a book. I fully 
realized that public opinion had much to do 
with acts of congress, so wherever I heard 
of a great gathering of influential men. 
such as great gatherings of church officials 
of every denomination, there I would go and 
get a few moments time to plead for the 
lives and limbs of the railroad boys and for 
Sunday rest as well, getting them to pass 
strong resolutions which I had usually al- 
ready prepared. And so I worked. The 
first congress of Harrison's administration 
closed without my being able to get the bills 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



229 



out of the committee's hands. They were 
introduced again at the opening of his last 
congress, and from that time 1 m the rail- 
roads were there in force fighting the bill. 
They told the committee that it would cost 
the roads one hundred million dollars to 
meet the requirements of that bill. But 
God loved these trainmen more than He 
did the millions of the corporations, and 
the bill went through and President Harri- 
son signed it and made it a law the day be- 
fore he left his high office, on the 3d of 
March, 1893. The law gave the roads five 
years to equip their cars as the law directed, 
but near the close of the fifth year the roads 
came before the interstate commerce com- 
mission and pleaded for five years more, 
but the five railroad brotherhoods with my- 
self were there in opposition, and they got 
only two years and then seven months after 
that. As the result of that law there are at 
least fifteen hundred less deaths and over 
five thousand less painful accidents in a 
year than when President Harrison signed 
that bill. So beneficial is this law found to 
l^e in an economical sense, to say nothing of 
the saving of life and limb, that the very 
officials that then called me a crank and 
abused me so unmercifully, now take me by 
the hand and thank me for what they then 
cursed me for. Yet it never seems to me 
that I have done anything but what 
was my plain dutv to do after the 
awful facts came to my knowledge. I 
never could have respected myself if I had 
refused to try, frightened at' the lions I 
really saw in the way. So then let the 
praise go where it belongs, to God." 

Mr. Coffin certainly deserves the un- 
bounded gratitude of all railroad men 
throughout the country, by securing the en- 
actment of the national law which was passed 
by congress March 2. 1893. He has done 



more than any other individual to promote 
temperance among railroad men by the use 
of what is known as the "'white button.'' 
He has had made a little white button, in 
which are the initials R. R. T. A. — Rail- 
road Temperance Association — and these 
buttons he gives to all railroad employes 
who will promise to wear one and abstain 
from the use of liquor. He has paid out 
over five thousand dollars alone for these 
buttons, having distributed more than one 
hundred and fifty thousand of them, and is 
still engaged in the work, always having a 
supply of them when he travels. This in- 
conspicuous little button is a constant re- 
minder to the wearer that he has given his 
v/ord to abstain from the use of those bev- 
erages which destroy manhood and render 
the individual unfitted for the performance 
of life's duties. A lasting monument to the 
work of .Mr. Coffin is seen in the home for 
disabled and infirm railroad men at High- 
land Park, Illinois, near Chicago. All 
brotherhood railroad men are eligible as 
members, the only requirement being that 
they contribute as much as "the expense of 
one cigar a day." This entitles any brother- 
hood man in railroad employ, in case of 
accident or inability, to a good home fi >r 
life, containing all necessities and comforts. 
At this time the work is progressing nicely 
under the guidance of Mr. Coffin and the co- 
operation of the four railroad brotherhood-. 
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineer-, 
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, 
the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and 
the Order of Railway Conductors. These 
four orders have contributed to the home 
and at the present time they are planning 
an eighty-thousand-dollar fire-proof build- 
ing as an addition to the present home. 
There are now between twenty and thirty 
inmates. Mr. Coffin is the president of the 



230 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Railroad Employes' Home, and, more than 
(.hat, lie is the friend of all railroad men, 
having a warm personal interest in their 
welfare. 

Another important work is now en- 
gaging the attention of Mr. Coffin, who, in 
connection with other leading- citizens of 
Fort 'Dodge and vicinity, is building a 
hi me for ex-convicts. -Mr. Coffin alone has 
donated eighty acres of land and five thou- 
sand dollars in cash for the building, and is 
also devoting a great deal of his time to the 
work. The object of the movement is to 
assist th: ex-convicts in getting work and 
helping them again to win a place in the 
world consistent with upright and useful 
manhood. 

Mr. Coffin has ever been a friend to the 
poi i and needy, to the oppressed and the 
suffering, and. believing that the spark of 
divinity is in every individual and may lie 
fanned into flame, he is ever ready to ex- 
tend a helping hand to those in need of 
cither material or moral assistance. His 
home while in Ohio was a station in the 
famous underground railroad when slavery 
existed in the land and his strong Aboli- 
tion principles led him to ally himself with 
the Republican party when it was formed 
to prevent the further extension of slavery. 
He lias since been one of its stalwart sup- 
porters. 

To what church does he belong? We 
answer, ti the church which Christ founded 
when he said "Go ye into all the world and 
preach the Gospel," when he gave the 
mandate, "bear ye one another's burdens," 
and said "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto 
one of the least of these, my brethren, ye 
have done it unto me." One of the most 
interesting- features of the Willowedge 
Farm is his chapel, which he built, about 
twelve years ago for the benefit of his 



(laughter, who was greatly interested in 
Sunday-school work. In connection with 
the same is a circulating library for the 
community. Services are held Sunday af- 
ternoons — held in the afternoon that they 
need not conflict with the morning or even- 
ing services of the city churches. Pastors 
and people of all denominations are wel- 
come, and the gospel of Christ — forgive- 
ness and love — is preached. Along the 
same line of Christian liberality is his ef- 
fective work in the Young Men's Christian 
' ssi nation, in which almost each Sunday 
he addresses a meeting of this organization. 
Who can measure the influence of such a 
life? 

''Our echoes roll from soul to soul 
And grow forever and forever." 

In business he has achieved splendid 
success, but the most envious could not 
grudge him his prosperity so worthib has 
it been won, so well used. He has builded 
to himself a monument more lasting than 
stone in the freewill offering of grateful 

» « » 

CYRUS C. CARPENTER. 

The office of the chief executive of Iowa 
has ever been filled by men of marked abil- 
ity and unfaltering devotion to the best in- 
terests of the commonwealth, but among 
the long list of illustrious men who have 
seiwed as governor none have more de- 
served the honor conferred upon them or 
more loyally advanced the interests of the 
state than Governor Cyrus C. Carpenter. 
He came to Iowa in the earlv days of her 
development and the public life of few 
other citizens in this part of the country 




C. C. CARPENTER 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



-3. 



have extended aver as long a period as did 
his, and certainly the life of none other has 
been more varied in service, mure con- 
stant in honor, more fearless in conduct and 
more stainless in reputation. In his life 
time the people of his state, recognizing his 
merit, rejoiced in his advancement and in 
the honors to which he attained, and since 
his death they have gratefully cherished his 
memory. True men are the crown jewels 
of the republic, and the very names of the 
distinguished dead are a continual inspira- 
tion and an abiding lesson. 

Back to Xew England Governor Car- 
penter traced his ancestry, his people living 
in Massachusetts in an early day, while 
later representatives of the family became 
residents of Pennsylvania, and it was in 
Susquehanna county, that state, that he was 
born in November, 1830. He had neither 
the advantages of wealth or influence to as- 
sist him, but early learned the valued les- 
sons of industry , honesty and self-reliance. 
Although earnest toil was the lot of the 
members of the Carpenter household, he 
was surrounded by the refining influence of 
a home where integrity and character were 
rated at their true worth. He eagerly 
availed himself of the opportunities educa- 
tion afforded by the country schools and 
later continued his studies in the Harford 
Academy, where he prepared himself for 
teaching, a profession which he followed 
at intervals for a number of years. Life 
lay before him. and with a young man's 
bright hope of the future, fortified by laud- 
able ambition, strong determination and 
manly principles, he resolved to seek his 
fortune in the west, where he believed 
greater opportunities were afforded than in 
the older and more thickly settled east. He 
determined to make Iowa his home for the 
reason, as he was often heard to remark in 



later life, "that he liked the looks of it on 
the map." Therefore he started, but his 
pecuniary resources were very limited, and 
when he reached Licking county, Ohio, he 
found it necessary to replenish his depleted 
exchequer. This he did by teaching school 
for two years, and then again followed the 
guidance of the "star of empire" which 
westward takes its way. In June, 1854, he 
reached Des Moines on his way to Fort 
Dodge, then a military outpost in the wil- 
derness of northwestern Iowa. The ele- 
mental strength of his character and the 
purpose of his nature was manifest in many 
act- of his life in those early days, one of 
which will serve to- indicate this. The pro- 
prietor of the hotel at which he had been 
entertained over night in the capital city, 
on learning that it required nearly all his 
money to meet the expense of the night's 
lodging, offered to trust him for the 
amount, but declining the offer, he paid his 
bill in full and on foot started to complete 
the journey of . eighty miles across the 
prairie which lay between the capital and 
his destination. He builded his fortune not 
upon the faith of his fellow 7 men, their in- 
fluence or their aid, but upon the substantial 
qualities of unfaltering determination and 
unflagging integrity. He found in the new 
settlement men of courageous spirit, ready 
to do and to dare in order to make homes 
for themselves and their families, and he 
was soon recognized as a leader in their 
midst. His work in the development and 
upbuilding of the state in pioneer times can- 
not be overestimated, for he aided in laying 
bri ad and deep the foundations for the pres- 
ent progress and prosperity of this great 
commonwealth. His first work in the west 
was in the line of surveying, and he estab- 
lished the boundaries to make farms and 
homes as well as public property. This oc- 



- - 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



cupie! . lmer 

I : 

- 

I 

— prided 

3 
■ 

He 
.e could gel 

ran be- 

earne- 

■ 

■ement. H 

'■ ~ 
I 

a car ighbor- 

r 

e became a mer 



general assembly upon which he left the im- 
ng individuality. 
About the time he retired from the office 
'jecame in rivilwar and 

he enlisted. He had had previous military 
r vhen the Indians massacred the 
Lake he 
rty that went to the rescue of the few 
:atastrophe. It was in the 
•rrity has hardly 
been paralleled in the history- of the state 
I hardshi; 
greater than were met 

5 
Mr. Carpenter became a private, but, 
■ 

- captain and his 

with I fterward with General 

at with the rank 
L _ 
ry record tb the 

rty, personal coon g -trong pur- 

It was during the | e war that 

C. Burkh 

- : 
earlie 

•he home 

he si 

n the 
where the panionship 

■ ■ 
duced. 

The nel Carpenter re- 

I was ma'! 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ister of the land office, then a positi 
great responsibility. He not only filled the 
office acceptably, but by his complete mas- 
tery of the details oi the business he con- 
tributed, through a carefully prepared book 
on the subject of surveying, to the success- 
ful administration of the office in after 
years. In 1872 he was elected chief execu- 
tive of the state, and by re-election was 
continued in the office for four years, lit 
speaking- of this period of- his life Senator 
J. P. Dolliver has said: "The years in 
which he was g r were years 

and industrial transition. The 
houses were located but the problems of 
popular education were becoming mon 
more troublesome. The railroad builders 
had finished their work in the midst of 
blunders innumerable on their own part and 
on the part of the law-making power, leav- 
g . thousand problems arising out of their 
to lie solved by than 
or by the people thei si es The public 
lands had all lieen taken up, but the Iowa 
farm was only beginning to approach a 
solution oi those questions which from that 
day to this have lieen prominent in the 
minds of the people everywhere. In all 
- things it may be truly said that Gov- 
ernor Carpenter gave the state a coherent 
and intelligent guidance which has saved 
us from the disasters which have afflicted 
other western communities. It was a time 
when we needed a leader wh 
tmsted both by the people and the strangers 
who had invested their money in Iowa 
lands. He had the confidence oi the people 
1 experience identified him 
in thought and sympathy with them. He 
could speak to them in terms which in other 
men would have struck the note oi insin- 
cerity and affectation. His public ntte 
lied with homely wisdom and .. 



act and full sense as max- 

■ ancients. The peo] 
him because he told their. 

- - 
plainly ind 

and also show forth th< 
man: "The bless g - ck - 

c - servator and prom 
mater greatness bul 
decency oi the world. * * * The « 
material advancement depends 
proper direction and pr t< 
men with ;' . - sition to toil, to dart 

- e." He had no sympathy with the 
notion, not yet altogether extinct, that the 
schov^ls of Iowa - much mom 

lay the hand oi taxation : upon 

the possessions of the rich. "1:' 

g wealth." said he. "would place a g 
over their treasui diaMe than 

or bolts, the per diem of jurors or ti 

• f sheriffs and judges, the - eg 
will be found in enlarging ami 
the common-school system oi Iowa until 

tizen can reach maturity without 
raining tion." Under his 

ministration the laws were frame 
cessfully defended in the courts \vhi< 
the first limits upon the reckless mai _ 
ment of western railroads, which ..: 
time promised not only to despoil the 
munity but to ruin the roads thems* 

- broad-minded man looked 
subject and when he had 

stigations j 
farm against di< gers 

like th< s long as 

appreciate truth in the garb of Ira 
"The exorl 

nor, "is the skeleton in the 
crib." He new 

d if the railroad companies 



236 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



spected him and afterward followed his 
counsel it was because he was willing to tell 
them the truth- and without the malice which 
seeks to destroy was anxious that they 
should exercise the wisdom which pre- 
serves. In his message to the legislature 
of 1874 he anticipated the platform of 
peace and mutual advantage upon which 
the people and the railroads of Iowa a w 
stand together. 

After Governor Carpenter retired from 
the offiqe of chief executive of the state he 
held an important position in the treasury 
department under the administration of 
General Grant. Returning home, he was 
appointed a member of the railway com- 
mission, and while he proved a useful mem- 
ber of that body, he soon resigned because 
Ins name had been mentioned in connection 
with the nomination for congress and he did 
not wish to make a canvass for one office 
while holding another. He was elected and 
took an active part in the councils of the 
house, serving on the committees on war 
claims, agriculture, levees of the Missis- 
sippi river, education and labor, and at the 
end of his term he was named a member of 
the committee that waited upon the presi- 
dent to tell him that congress was waiting 
his pleasure to adjourn. While a member 
of congress Governor Carpenter succeeded 
in getting a United States court established 
at Fort Dodge, and as a direct result of his 
labors the handsome government building 
was erected in which court is held and the 
Fort Dodge postoffice is located. He won 
the friendship of .many of the most promi- 
nent men of the nation. He worked for the 
good of the country without thought of self- 
aggrandizement and was an earnest cham- 
pion of every measure which he believed 
would contribute to the general prosperity 
Careful consideration preceded every de- 



cisive stand which he took concerning a 
question up for settlement, but when his 
course was once determined upon neither 
fear nor favor could cause him to change, 
although he always listened courteously to 
argument. Again Senator Dolliver writes 
cf him: "His speech on the national 
finance in the second session of the forty- 
sixth congress was a masterpiece of reason- 
ing and sound philosophy. It was tem- 
perate in tone, simple in manner, fortified 
at every point by the lessons of history and 
experience, while throughout it all the plat 
of genial wit lighted the rugged strength 
of his argument. Probably the most im- 
portant service of his congressional life was 
the work he did in connection with creating 
the department of agriculture. He was a 
member of the committee which framed the 
bill, and in the debate his speech was par- 
ticularly strong and persuasive. The speech 
itself reveals his deep research into the 
needs and resources of the country and his 
wide information in respect to the progress 
of agriculture throughout the world. It 
enabled him also to give his estimate of 
the relation of the American farm to civ- 
ilization of the country, and his comments 
upon the aspect of the question are not only 
instructive but inspiring in the noblest 
sense. 

After his retirement from congress he 
was again sent to the state legislature and 
held important local positions, and the wel- 
fare of district, state and nation were 
thereby advanced. His was a noble na- 
ture — one that subordinated personal am- 
bition to public good and sought rather to 
benefit others than to advance himself. His 
was a sturdy American character and a 
stalwart patriotism and he bad the strong- 
est attachment for our free institutions and 
was ever willing to make any personal sac- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



'-37 



rifice for their preservation. A lofty pa- 
triotism and a Christian manhood perme- 
ated his life and actions. The hest monu- 
ment erected to his memory was the spon- 
taneous freewill offering of a grateful peo- 
ple who gathered at his bier when in 1898 
all that was mortal of Cyrus Carpenter was 
laid in the tomb. Men of national fame 
spoke of their regard for him, the president 
voiced his great friendship and respect for 
him, the chiefest men of Iowa attended the 
last sad rites, but the people among whom 
he had lived mourned him as a brother. 
Young and old. rich and poor loved him, 
and he lives enshrined in their hearts. 

"His life was noble, and the elements 
So mixed in him that nature might stand up 
.And say to all the world, 'This was a 
man.' " 

+-+-+ 

WILLIAM HUTCHISON. 

Among- the honored veterans of the 
Ci\il war now residing in Fort Dodge, 
Iowa, is William Hutchison, who since 
1897 has had charge of the city scales, and 
has most creditably filled that position. He 
was born in Wayne county, Ohio. August 
9. 1832, a son of Jimpsey and Rebecca 
(Peppard) Hutchison, both natives of 
Pennsylvania. By occupation the father 
w a- a farmer. In his family were twelve 
children, four sons and eight daughters, of 
v hi nn three si ms fought for the old flag and 
the cause it represented in the Civil war. 
One of these, Jonathan Hutchison, was a 
major in the Thirty-second Iowa Volunteer 
Infantry. 

On the home farm in the count}- of his 
nativity William Hutchison grew to man- 
hood, and his education was acquired in the 



schools of Fredericksburg, Ohio. In May, 
1864, be donned the blue and went to the 
defense of his country as third sergeant in 
Company G, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was mus- 
tered out and honorably discharged in the 
foil.. wing September, and is now an hon- 
ored member of Fort Donelson Post, No. 
236, G. A. R., of Fort Dodge. 

On leaving the army Mr. Hutchison re- 
turned to his old home in Wayne county, 
< Ihio, hut in 1865 came to Fort Dodge, and 
engaged in carpenter work here until 1897, 
when he took charge of the city scales, and 
has since discharged the duties of that po- 
sition in a most acceptable manner. 

In 1852 Mr. Hutchison married Miss 
Rachel Sands, of Wayne county, Ohio, a 
daughter of William Sands, who was a 
shoemaker by trade. Four children blessed 
this union, namely: Bryson T., born in 
1853, is now engaged in the real estate busi- 
ness in Fort Dodge; Alice, born in 1859, is 
at home with her parents; Charlotte, born 
in i860, died in 1864; and Ida, born in 
1864, is now the wife of A. M. White, who 
is at the head of the White Line Dray busi- 
ness in Fort Dodge. 



JOHN R. ROSCOE. 

J. ihn R. Roscoe, vice-president of the 
Charles Craft Company, has spent almost 
his entire life in Fort Dodge, and is a 
worthy representative of one of its old and 
highly respected families. His father, Gil- 
bert Roscoe, was born in Putnam county, 
Xew York, March 6, 1820, where his an- 
cestors settled at an early day in the de- 
velopment of this country. There he grew 
to manhood and learned the carpenter's 



2 3 8 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



trade. On the 3d of September, 1842, he 
was united in marriage with Miss Char- 
lotte Bailey, whose family were also' among 
the pioneers of Putnam county. Deciding 
to try his fortunes in the west, Mr. Roscoe 
came to Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1856, travel- 
ing by wagon from Dubuque and arriving 
here on the 24th of April after many diffi- 
culties. He pre-empted a farm in Webster 
county, and after residing thereon for three 
years removed to the city, where he en- 
gaged in contracting and building until 
called to his final rest, December 30, 1884. 
His widow is still living at the age of sev- 
enty-seven years and makes her home with 
our subject. For forty-one years his home 
was at the corner of Fourth avenue south 
and Fourteenth street. He was a faithful and 
consistent member of the Methodist church, 
and was highly respected and esteemed by 
all who knew him. Of his nine children 
only our subject is now living. Three of 
the number died within a week after reach- 
ing Fort Dodge from measles contracted in 
I Hibuque. 

John R. Roscoe was born on the 5th of 
September, [855, and was therefore only 
six months old when the family came to 
Fort Dodge from his birthplace in Putnam 
county, New York. In the public schools 
of this city he acquired a good practical ed- 
ucation, and in early life learned the car- 
penter's trade from his father, at which he 
worked for seventeen years. In 1890 he 
entered a retail grocery store in the capacity 
of clerk, and when the Charles Craft Com- 
pany was organized and incorporated under 
the laws of Iowa in 1898 he became a mem- 
ber of the firm and is now vice-president of 
the same. They do a large retail business 
as dealers in both groceries and meats, and 
command a liberal share of the public pat- 
ronage. Mr. Roscoe is an energetic, enter- 



prising business man, and to him is due not 
a little of the success of the concern with 
which he is connected. Fraternally he is a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows and is held in high regard in both 
business and social circles. 

On the 20th of December, 1883, Mr. 
Roscoe wedded Miss Mary E. Cisne, of 
Marshalltown, Iowa, and to them have been 
born two 1 children, namely, Earl R. and 
Melvin G. 



JONATHAN P. DOLLIVER. 

An enumeration of the men of the pres- 
ent generation who have conferred honor 
and dignity upon the state which has holl- 
ered them would be incomplete were there 
failure to make prominent mention of him 
whose name initiates this review. He holds 
distinctive precedence as an eminent lawyer 
and statesman and a man of scientific and 
literary attainments. Through several 
terms in congress he has borne himself 
with such signal dignity and honor as to 
gain him the respect of all. He has been 
and is distinctively a man of affairs and 
one who has wielded a wide influence. A 
strong mentality, an invincible courage, a 
most determined individuality have so en- 
tered into his makeup as to render him a 
natural leader of men and a director of 
opinion, and to-day one of the most dis- 
tinguished men of the nation is Senator 
Jonathan Prentiss Dolliver, of Iowa. 

Mr. Dolliver was born in Kingwood, 
Preston county, Virginia, now West Vir- 
ginia, February 6, 1858. His father, the 
Rev. J. J. Dolliver, was a Methodist min- 
ister, well known in West Virginia and 
Ohio conferences, where he labored most 
earnestly and effectively to advance his 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



24' 



holy calling. He now resides in Fort 
Dodge. His wife belonged to a pr< mineni 
family of the Old Dominion, being a niece 

of William < I. Brown, i f Kingwood, West 
Virginia, and a sister of the Hon. John 
G. Brown, of Morg West Vir- 

ginia. 

In his bi iyhi » id Senati n Dollive 
forth the elemental strength of his charac- 
ter and gave evidence of that genius and 
preci city, which, combined with his indus- 
try, early placed him iii the front ranks in 
his schi ml days and have since won him 
high honors in the council chambers of the 
nation. In 1870 he took up his abode near 
\b rgantown and there attended the State 
University, completing the course by grad- 
uation in 1875, when he was but seventeen 
vears of age. He afterward spent two 
years engaged in teaching school in Sand- 
wich, Illinois. Naturally he chose as a life- 
work a calling demanding strong mentality, 
keen analytical power and strong reasoning 
powers, for such was the trend of his mind. 
While teaching he also pursued the study 
of law, and in [878 he and his brother were 
admitted to the bar. Mr. Dolliver was then 
but twenty years of age. With his bsother 
he went to Chicago 1 , where they expended 
must of their money for law books, having 
only enough remaining to bring them to 
Fort Dodge, Iowa, which place they had 
chosen as the scene of their labors. Here 
the} - opened a law office and many were 
the hardships and trials they met, but with 
courageous spirit they endured all without 
complaint, and in course of time a good 
practice rewarded them. The marked ora- 
torical ability which J. P. Dolliver had 
early manifested soon drew public atten- 
tion to him and brought him into promi- 
nence. Not only did his clientage increase, 
but he also became active in the local ranks 



of the Republican party, and was calk 
the leadership 1 if its f, , r ces here. 1 [1 
sent as a delegate to the count}- and 
conventions, and when he rose to speak si- 
lence immediately prevailed among his 
auditors and he was listened to with rani 
attention. In [888 he was elected to repre- 
sent the tenth congressional district of 
Iowa in the house of representatives, and, 
from that time until he became United 
States Senator he was recognized as a lead- 
ing member of the lower body. Nol 
did his eloquence hold enchained the atten- 
tion of the house, but his strong reasoning, 
comprehensive thought and logical deduc- 
tions showed that he had made a deep, 
earnest and conscientious study of the 
questions discussed, and therefore many 
were convinced. His work in congress has 
become a matter of history, for he has left 
the impress of his individuality upon the 
legislation of the nation during- the past 
decade. His term in the house would have 
expired in 1901, but after the death of \< h 
Henry Gear, Governor Shaw, of Iowa, on 
the 23d of August, 1900, appointed Mr. Dol- 
liver to fill the vacancy in the United States 
senate. In the Republican national conven- 
tion held in Philadelphia, in [900, he was 
strongly urged to become a candidate for 
the vice-presidency. 

In 1895 Mr. Dolliver was united in 
marriage to Miss Louise Pearson, of Fort 
Dodge, a daughter of George R. Pearson, 
and the}- still maintain their home in the 
[owa city where he entered upon his pro- 
fessional career, although they spend much 
time in the capital. Mr. Dolliver is vet a 
young man, but his name has already been 
ineffacably stamped upon the pages of 
American history. Endowed by nature 
with high intellectual qualities, to which have 
been added the discipline and embellishments 



242 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of culture, his is a most attractive personal- 
ity. Well versed in the learning of his pro- 
fession, and with a deep knowledge of hu- 
man nature and the spring of human con- 
duct, with great shrewdness, sagacity and 
extraordinary tact, he is in the courts an 
advocate of great power and influence. 
Bath judges an<! juries have always heard 
him with attention . and deep interest. On 
the political stage, such is his personal pop- 
ularity and such his personal magnetism, 
that his appearance to address the people is 
the signal for tumultuous enthusiasm. His 
is a sturdy American character and a stal- 
wart patriot, and with the strongest at- 
tachment for our free institutions, he is 
ever willing to make any personal sacrifice 
fi ir their preservation. 



WILLIAM K. HARDING. 

For almost half a century this gentle- 
man has heen a resident of Iowa, and is to- 
day « ne of the leading business men of 
Vincent, where he has mercantile and real 
interests. He is a man win se sound 
common sense and vigorous able manage- 
ment of his affairs have heen important fac- 
tors in his success, and with his undoubted 
integrity of character have given him an 
honorable position among his fellow men. 

Mr. Harding was born in Union coun- 
ty, Indiana. February 5. 1836, and is a son 
of Thomas K. Harding, whose birth oc- 
curred in Butler county. Ohio, in 1810. 
His paternal grandfather, Samuel Harding, 
was a native of New York, and a pioneer of 
Butler county, Ohio. He took an active 
part in the early Indian war. and entered 
the United States service in the war of 
1812 and died while in the army. When a 



young man Tin anas K. Harding left his na- 
tive state and removed to Brownsville, 
Union county, Indiana, where he engaged 
in the manufacture of axes and reap hooks 
for a few years. While there he was united 
in marriage with Miss Rachel Knott, a na- 
tive of North Carolina, and a near relative 
of Senator Knott, of Kentucky. Removing 
to Boone county. Indiana. Mr. Hardin:; 
purchased a tract of land and engaged in 
farming throughout the remainder of his 
dying there about 1870. His wife, who 
survived him ten years, passed away in 
1880. 

This worth) couple were the parents of 
eight children, five sons and three daugh- 
ters, who m order of birth were as follows: 
Samuel, a resident of Clinton county, In- 
diana; John, of Tipton county, that state; 
William K., of this review; Rebecca, who 
grew to womanhood and married but was 
quite young at the time of her death; Mar- 
garet, now the wife of Charles McDonald, 
of Clinton county. Indiana; Mrs. Martha 
Ann Kutz, a widow residing that count}-; 
Marion, a resident of Kirkland, Indiana ; and 
Thomas J., who died in the service during 
the Civil war. 

William K. Harding received his early 
education in the common schools of his na- 
tive state, and later received private in- 
struction, but the greater part of his educa- 
tion has been obtained by reading and ob- 
servation in later years. On coming to 
Iowa in 1853 ' le nrst located in Benton 
count v. where he learned the carpenter's 
trade and followed that occupation for a 
few vears. There he entered land, which he 
improved, and later engaged in merchandis- 
ing at Marys ville. now Urbana, for about 
two years, selling 1 ut at the end of that 
time. 

The country being then engaged in civil 



[HE ]',!( GRAPHICAL REC( >RD. 



2 43 



war. Mr. Harding enlisted August 12, 
1863, fi r three years or during the war. 
and assisted in raising a pan of a company, 
which was joined to Captain Sell's com- 
mand at Vinton. It was mustered into the 
United States service as < "■ mpany K, 
Fortieth L \\a Volunteer Infantry, and was 
ned tn the Army of the Southwest, un- 
ieneral ( .rant. Air. I larding, win - had 
entered the service as seo nd lieutenant. 
participated in the siege of Vicksburg, and 
d in taking that stronghold. After 
the surrender he was taken ill and sent b 1 the 
hospital at Mound City. Illinois, where he 
remained six weeks, and was then senl home 
"ii a furlough. Subsequently he returned 
to the hospital at Mound City and reported 
for duty to the Seventh Army Corp 
joining his regiment at Little Rock, Ar- 
kansas, where he spent the winter. Being 
again taken ill, he resigned on the advice of 
the surgeon and returned home in the spring 
of 1864, and for two years thereafter w a- in 
pi 1 >r health. 

That time was spent in Benton county, 
Iowa, and when he had sufficiently recov- 
ered Mr. Harding opened a store in Gilbert- 
ville. hut -i hi 1 ut at the end of a few- months 
and removed to Jessup, where he was en- 
gaged in merchandising for about six 
years. On disposing of that store he came 
to Webster county, and was engaged in the 
grain and stock business at Duncombe, at 
the same time serving as station agent at 
that place for seven years. During his resi- 
dence here lie erected an opera house at 
( edar Falls, Iowa, which he has since dis- 
posed of. In the meantime he opened a 
store in Duncombe and engaged in mer- 
chandising until coming to Vincent, where 
he has now made his home fi >r fi mrteen 
years. Here lie bought property and built 
the first business house and residence in the 



town, being practically its founder. On the 
D mpletii n < f In- -tore building he put in 
a large sti ck 1 f general merchandise, and 
ha- since successfull) engagi 
having by fair and. horn rable dealing built 
up an excellent trade. Since locating here 
he has bi tight and sold considerable farm 
property, and has also dealt quite exten- 
sively in town lots. He is pre-eminently 
public-spirited and progressive, and has ma- 
terially aided in the upbuilding and develop- 
ment of the place. 

In Benton count}-. Iowa. April _\ 1856, 
Mr. J larding was united in marriage with 
Miss Sarah Moore, who was born in John- 
son county, Indiana, ami was a young girl 
when she came to Iowa, her mother, Mrs. 
Matilda Moore, being one of the pioneers 
of Benton county. Our subject and his wife 
have three children, namely: ( 1 ) James 
I).. a resident of Vincent, is married and 
has four children: Cleveland A.. James 
Wilford, Genevieve and Aha Marie. 1 _' ) 
William W. is now a business man of Chi- 
cago. ( 3 ) Jennie M. is the wife of William 
I 1. W'oolsey, who ijs in partnership with our 
subject in the mercantile business. They 
have two children. Derward Delos and 
Gladys L. 

Politicall) Mr. Harding is a Jackson- 
ian Democrat, and has always affiliated with 
that party since casting his first presiden- 
tial vote for Stephen A. Douglas in [860. 
He has been a delegate to both county and 
state conventions, but has never been an 
aspirant fi r office, though he was the can- 
didate of his party for count) treasurer in 
[902, and was once nominated for repre- 
sentative of Buchanan county without his 
knowledge. lie has since declined to serve 
in any official capacity, preferring to give 
his entire time and attention to his business 
interests. He was made a Mason at Center 



244 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



l"\\a. and later assisted in organiz- 
ing- Jessup Lodge, but is now dimitted. He 
ep interest in everything pertain- 
ing to the public welfare of the town, and 
withholds his support from no enterprise 
calculated to prove of public benefit. He 
has liKitlc for himself an honorable record 
in lm.Mii.s-~, and by his well-directed ef- 
fi rts has acquired a handsome competence. 
As a citizen, friend and neighbor he is true 
to every duty and justly merits the esteem 
in which he is held. 



WILLIAM V. DOWD. 

The death of William V. Dowd, in June, 
L889, removed from Webster county one 
of its niO'St successful farmers and estimable 
citizens. He was born in Hocking county. 
Ohio, September 25, 1823, a sun of Alex- 
ander and Nancy (Vandeford) Dowd, 
b tli natives of North Carolina, the former 
burn in [799, the latter in 1782. His pa- 
ternal grandparents were Conner Dowd and 
wife, who were born in 1737 and 1777, 
respectively. His grandfather Vande- 
ford was born in 178b. The parents of 
our subject were married in Ohio; in 
which state they resided for about twenty 
years, and then removed to Indiana, where 
the following twelve years were passed. 
in [854 thej came to towa, and after spend- 
ing one year in Madison count}' took up 
their residence at Beecher's Corners, in 
Burnside township, Webster count)-, where 
the father bought a tract of land on which 
a log cabin had already been erected. Five 
years later they went to Colorado and made 
their home near Denver for about two 
years. Returning to Iowa at the end of 
that time, thev settled in Boone county, 



where the mother died in December, [864 
The year following the father married 
Elizabeth Beason, and after residing in 
i 1 1 ne count) for a tune they removed to 
a farm one and a half miles easl of Day- 
ton, low a. where he continued to live until 
his death, which occurred May 27, 1874. 
In- widow, who long survived him, died 
m Colorado in [899. By his second mar- 
riage he had no children. Of the eight 
children born of the first union our subject 
was the eldest, while the others were as 
follows: Sarah is now the widow of Ben- 
jamin F. Allison and resides in California; 
Hannah first married David Miller, who 
died in Tama county. Iowa, and .she later 
wedded J. Kihhy. She died in Butte, Mon- 
tana, in 1899. Nancy married a Mr. Davis 
and died in .Madison county, Iowa. Mary 
wedded George Wilson and died in Golden. 
Colorado. Alexander married Catherine 
Childs ami died in 1867. His widow now 
resides in Guthrie Center, Iowa. Minerva, 
deceased, was the wife of James Kelly, of 
Golden. Colorado. Marion died in child- 
hood. 

In the county of his nativity Mr. Dowd. 
ot this review, was reared and educated, 
and during his boyhood and youth assisted 
his father in the labors of the farm. He 
was married in 1844 to Miss Martha Alli- 
son, who died, in 1854. By that union six 
children were born, namely: (1) Susan 
M., born in Indiana, October 23, 1 S_j 5 , 
married George Nettles and died in Perry, 
Iowa, in October, 1890. (2) Mary J., 
born in Indiana. April 19, 18-17, 1S the wife 
of Captain John L. Kinney, of Dayton, 
Iowa. (3) Francis A., born in Indiana, 
June 18, 1848, married Mrs. Lindreth 
Burnquest and is now living in Fort Dodge, 
being sheriff of Webster county. 14) 
Alexander, bora in Indiana, Novembei 7, 




WILLIAM V. DOWD 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL REO »RD. 



-47 



[849, resides in B.urnside township, this 
county. He married Loretta Stoughton, and 
they have four children, Charles, Belle, 
Frank and Lee. (5) John H., born in In- 
diana. January 10, 1 S 5 j . first married 
Clarissa Blair, who died, leaving four chil- 
dren, Nellie, Ray, John and Edna, and for 
his second wife he married Tillie Watts, 
by whom he has two children. Fannie and 
Chauncey M. (6) James, born in Indi- 
ana, January 15, 1854, died in infancy. 

Mr. Dowd was again married, his 
second union being- with Elizabeth Hill, 
vvho died, leaving one child, Elizabeth, who 
was born in Webster county, Iowa, Janu- 
ary j j. 1856. She first married Frank 
Rakestraw, by whom she had three chil- 
dren, William. Maud and George. Her 
husband was an engineer and was killed in 
a collision, and she subsequently wedded a 
Mr. Morrison. They have one child, 
Mabel, and now make their home in Spo- 
kane. Washington. 

For his third wife Mr. Dowd married 
Rebecca Kinney, who also died leaving one 
daughter, Nancy E, who was born in Burn- 
side township, this county, December j. 
j So,), ami married T. D. Reese. She died 
in Everett, Washington, in August. 1901, 
leaving three children. Clarence. Marguer- 
ite and Helen. 

< In the 19th of December, 1866, at Day- 
ton, Iowa, Mr. Dowd was united in mar- 
riage with Mrs. Clarissa L. Corbin, win 
was born in Pennsylvania, January 7, 1838, 
a daughter of James and Carressa ('Parker) 
Spring, both natives of Xew York state. 
Her father, who was a farmer by occupa- 
tion, came west in 1850 and settled near 
Homer in what was then Webster county. 
Iowa, but removed to Kansas i n [883, 
where he spent the remainder of his life, 
dying in June. 1888. He first purchased 



forty acre- 0] land, which he placed under 
cultivation, and later added to it 'lie hun- 
dred and sixty acres, in politics he was a 
Republican. I fe bad thirteen childre 
whom Mrs. Dowd is the eldest. The others 
were Ichabod, who married a lad}' of Vir- 
ginian birth and resides in Kansas; 
who died in infancy; William Daniel, win 
died unmarried; Mary, who wedded Ed- 
ward Wells and died near Beatrice. Ne- 
braska; Cynthia C, wife of Edward 
■ if Boone county. Iowa; Sarah, deceased 
wife of Zach Aldridge, of Nebraska: James 
A., who wedded Mary Williams and lives 
in Rutland, Kansas: David M.. who is also 
married and lives in the Sun Flower state: 
Naomi, deceased wife ol George Hitchings, 
of Bonne county, Iowa; Alice, wife of 
Henry Dowel, of Rutland, Kansas: and 
twins who died in infancy. 

Mrs. Dowd was married near Lehigh, 
[owa, January 21, 1858. to Albert G. Cor- 
bin. the ceremony being performed by Ellis 
Mercer, an old settler and justice of the 
peace. Mr. Corbin was born in Hunting- 
don county, Pennsylvania, January 27. 1831, 
and was a son of Benjamin and Margaret 
M. (Park) Corbin. who traveled life's 
journey together for almost seventy years. 
His father was horn in Huntingdon coun- 
ty. Pennsylvania. February 19. 1S07. and 
died in Story county. Iowa, January 27, 
1900, wdiile the mother was hunt in Hunt- 
erdon county. New Jersey, February 22, 
[809, and died in June. 1899. The 
moved to Ohio in 1834, and on coming to 
Iowa in 1853. first 1' cated in Webster 
county, but in 1800 removed to - 
countv. where they ever afterward made 
their home. During the Civil war Albert 
G. Corbin enlisted in Company D. Six- 
teenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and was 
seriously wounded in the battle of Shiloh, 



248 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



fn in the effects of which he died on the 
loth of April. 1862, after having a limb 
amputated. He left two sons : W'ilbert X., 
now a resident of Nevada, Iowa, mar- 
ried Ella McKee and their children are 
Blaine, Clara. Lloyd, Mabel, Fay, Bertha,, 
Lee, and Eva. William, the younger 
son, was killed on the railroad, December 
19, 1882, at the age of twenty-two years. 
By her second marriage Mrs. Dowd has 
four children, all horn in Webster county. 
In order of birth they are as follows: 1 1 1 
Alice M., born December 22. 1867, is the 
wife of Eric Bloom, a farmer of Dayton 
township, and they have two children, 
William V. and .Maud. (2) William W., 
born October 31, 1872, is now managing 
the estate left by his father. (3) Clara 
Florence, twin sister of William W., is the 
wife of Edward Putzke, who resides three 
miles northeast of Dayton. I 4 ) Amanda 
M., born August 3. 1876, is the wife of 
Andrew Olson, of Fort Dodge, and has 
1 ne child, Gerald D. 

In 1855 Mr. Dowd came to Webster 
county, Iowa, and was ever afterward 
pn minently identified with agricultural in- 
terests, being one of the most successful 
fanners of his community. At the time 
- death he owned over eight hundred 
acres of valuable land in this county. In 
cial relations he was a Mason, and in 
politics was an ardent Republican. On th? 
4th of June. 1889, he passed away, hon- 
ored and respected by all who knew him. 
and his remains were interred in the Day- 
ton cemetery. In his death the community 
realized that it had lost one of it^ best citi- 
zens; his family a good husband and fa- 
ther; and his memory is tenderly cher- 
ished, not only in his home, but by all who 
knew him. 



CAPTAIN J. L. KINNEY. 

Among the brave men who devoted 
their early manhi iod to the service of their 
country as soldiers of the Civil war was 
Captain J. L. Kinney, now one of the promi- 
nent and representative citizens of Dayton, 
Iowa. He was horn in Pennsylvania. June 
13, 1842, and is a son of Aaron and El+za 
J. (McComb) Kinney, the former a native 
of Ohio, the latter of Washington county, 
Pennsylvania, where their marriage was 
celebrated. For about four years they made 
their home in Armstrong county, that 
state, then spent one year in West Virginia, 
and at the end of that time removed to 
Meigs county, Ohio. It was in the spring 
of 185 1 that they came to Iowa, and took 
up their residence in Boone county. One 
year later they removed to Webster county, 
but after spending a year near Fort Dodge 
they returned to Boone county, and in 1858 
went to Greene county, remaining there un- 
til the close of the Civil war. Their next 
home was in Monona county, Iowa, and 
from there they removed to the state of 
Washington, locating near Ellensburg, 
where the mother died in 1894, and the 
father in 1898. 

Their family consisted of twelve chil- 
dren, namely: Eliza J. married I. D. How- 
ard and died in Jefferson, Iowa, in 1897; 
Robert married Sarah Leverton and resides 
in Dallas county, Iowa ; Margaret died at 
the age of eighteen years : Rebecca married 
William V. Dowd and died in Dayton town- 
ship. Webster county, in 1862; the Captain 
is the next in order of birth; Mary E. is the 
wife of James Merida. of Monona county; 
David married Lois Pinkney, now deceased, 
and lives in the state of Washington : Nancy 
is the wife of John Sininis. of Greene 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



249 



county, l<>\\ a; Thomas wedded Mercy 
Balis and resides in Monona county; Aaron 
married Tillie Extrand and also lives in 
Al- hi, ma county; William married Gustie 
Reese and makes his home in Ellensburg, 
Washington; and James married Emma 
Smith and also resides in Ellensburg. 

1 aptain Kinney began his education in 
the schools of Meigs county, Ohio, and 
after coming to this state with the family at 
the age of nine years, he continued to at- 
tend school for eight years. Coming to 
Dayton at the age of fifteen, he commenced 
work as a farm hand at twenty-rive cents 
per day and fifteen dollars per month, and 
was thus employed until the country became 
invi >lved in civil war. 

Responding to the President's call for 
troops, our subject enlisted at Jefferson, 
Greene county, August 6, 1861, in Com- 
pany H, Tenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, 
bejng under the command of Captain J. Orr. 
Colonel N. Purcell and General U. S. 
Grant. The regiment rendezvoused at 
Iowa City, and from there went to St. 
Louis, and later to Cape Girardeau and 
Greenfield, Missouri, whence they returned 
tn Cape Girardeau. ■ They next proceeded 
to Bird's Point. Island No. 10 and New 
Madrid, and after the battle of Shiloh went 
up the Tennessee river to Hamburg. They 
were in the siege of Corinth, and were first 
under heavy tiring in the battle of Iuka, fol- 
lowed by the second battle of Corinth. 
They next went to Grand Junction. Holly 
Springs and Oxford, Mississippi, and from 
the last named place returned to Memphis, 
whence they went to Helena. This was fol- 
lowed by the Ya I expedition, and 
after their return to Helena they went to 
Milliken's Bend. They were in the Vicks- 
burg campaign in the spring of 1863, and 
took part in the battles of Thompson's Hill 



near Port Gibson, and also Raymond and 
Jackson, as a pan of McPherson's 
Their next engagement was the batl 
Champion Hill, where they lost more than 
in any other engagement. After this they 
again assisted in the siege ^\ Vicksburg. 
After serving two years our subject was 
commissioned lieutenant in a negro regi- 
ment, the Fiftieth United States Regulars, 
and with his command went to New Or- 
leans in the spring of [865. Under the 
command of General Canby they proceeded 
to Pensacola, Florida, and were later in the 
siege and battle of Mobile. They stormed 
the works at Blakely and took the fort by 
charge, after which they returned to Mo- 
bile, where Captain Kinney resigned, hav- 
ing previously been promoted to that rank. 
He was mustered out on the 1st of May, 
[865, and returned to Dayton with a war 
record of which he may justly be proud. 

On the 6th of September, 1865, the 
Captain led to the marriage altar Miss Mary 
J. Dowd, who was horn in Noble county, 
Indiana. April 19, 1847, her parents being 
William A", and Martha (Allison) Dowd, 
natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respect- 
ively. Mr. and Mrs. Dowd were married 
in Indiana, and there five children were 
born to them, namely: Maria, who mar- 
ried George T. Nettles and died in 1 
Marv J., wife of our subject: F. A., who 
married Caroline Burnquisl and makes his 
home in Fori Hodge, having set 
terms as sheriff of this county; Alexander, 
who married Miss Loretta Stoughton and 
livi on a farm near Dayton; and John H., 
who first married Clarissa I Hair and sec- 
ond Tilla Watts, and formerly resided on a 
farm near Dayton but is now living in Okla- 
homa. The mother of these children died 
in 1854. and in the fall of 1855 the father 
married Elizabeth Hill and later removed 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



to Webster county, Iowa, locating on a 
farm, where his death occurred in 1889. 
His second wife died in 1857. leaving one 
child, Lizzie. She first married Frank 
Rakestraw, an engineer, who was killed on 
the Rock Island Railroad, and later wedded 
Canity Morrison, and now lives in Spo- 
kane, Washington. In 1858 Mr. Dowd 
married Rebecca Kinney, by whom he had 
one daughter, Nancy, who married T. D. 
Reece, now a resident of Rossland,. Can- 
ada, and she died August 18, 1901. Mr. 
Dowd lost his third wife in 1862, and 
four years later he married Mrs. 
Clarissa Corbin, who now lives on a farm 
near Dayton. By the last marriage there 
were four children: .Mice, wife of Erie 
Bloom, of Dayton township; Clara, wife of 
Ed Putsky, a farmer of the same township; 
W. \V., win. 1 is a twin brqther of Clara and 
resides with his mother in Dayton township; 
and \tnanda, wife of Andrew ( >lsun, of 
Pert Dodge. 

The children horn to Captain Kinney 
and wife are as follows: (1) Harry A., 
born December 6, r866, is an engineer on 
the Chicago Great Western Railroad and 
resides in Dayton. He married Elsie 
Meanor, who died in the spring of 1897, 
leaving six children: Flossie J., Dersey E., 
Georgie, Xellie, Bessie and Robert. (2) 
Willis E., horn March 29, 1868, is a vet- 
erinary surgeon of Madison, South Dakota 
He married Helen Scott and has one child. 
Grace. 13) George F., horn July 1, 1871, 
is a farmer of Harcourt, Webster county. 
He married Emma Gerdie and has two chil- 
dren, Fern and Iva. (4) Fred II., born 
January 8. 1S7X, is a brakeman on the Chi- 
cago & Northwestern Railroad and lives 
in ( arroll. Iowa. He married Mattie Wil- 
cox and has two children, Florence and 
Bernice. (5) Ralph V., born November 



9, 1877, married Grace Xeece and is a 
brakeman on the Northwestern Railroad, 
residing in Lake City. (6) John W., born 
March 10, 1879, married Abbie Carlson and 
is a farmer of Dayton. (7) Perry D., born 
May 9. 1883. (8) Benjamin H., horn May 
21, 1NN7, and (01 Mary M., horn July 15. 
1888, are all at home. 

Since his marriage Captain Kinney has 
given his time and attention to farming and 
stock raising, and has met with marked 
success, being now the owner of fifteen hun- 
dred acres of valuable farming land in Web- 
ster comity, besides some town property in 
Dayton. He now feeds oyer three hun- 
dred head of stock and ships large numbers 
to the city markets, having been success- 
fully engaged in the stock business for 
many years. 

Captain Kinney attends and contributes 
to the support of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, is a member of Oak Lodge, No 
531, A. F. & A. M., and the Grand Army 
Post of Dayton. As a Republican he has 
.been prominently identified with public af- 
fairs, and was twice a candidate for state 
representative, but unfortunately his party 
was then in the minority in his district. He 
has, however, most creditably and satisfac- 
torily served as supervisor for nine years, 
and has also tilled the office of township 
trustee several terms. As a soldier he was 
brave and fearless, "being always found at 
his post of duty, and as a citizen he has ever 
been found true to every trust reposed in 
him, so that he well merits the high regard 
in which he is held bv his fellow citizens. 



JOHN F. DUNCOMBE. 

If "biography is the home aspect of 
history," as Wilmott has expressed it. then 
it i- entirely within the province of this 




JOHN. F. DUNCOMBE 



THE BIOGR U'HICAl. RECORD. 



!53 



volume to perpetuate th< 

- who have made the history of the 
Hawkeye state. Wars and conquests have 
formed the annals of the pasl centuries, but 
in the nineteenth century the records were 
those of mind over matter, nol tin 
man over man. and the victories achieved 
have been along the lines of business prog- 
ress and improvement, of substantial de- 
velopment, culture and learning. There is 
esident of northwestern Iowa whose 
efforts have been of more avail in promot- 
ing the transformation of Webster county 
from a wild, unclaimed region to a section 
where every indication of an advanced civ- 
ilization is found. His business interests 
have been so broad and varied that he has 
contributed in large measure to the general 
prosperity, and yet not alone along business 
lines have his efforts been put forth for the 
public good. Almost a half century has 
passed since he took up his abode in Fort 
1 >odge and his life record has since become 
an important chapter in its history. 

John Francis Duncombe was born on 
the homestead farm in Erie county, Penn- 
sylvania, October 22, 1831, and back to 
England he traces his ancestry, where dif 
ferent members of the family served their 
country in parliament and in other import- 
ant public positions. The familj 
Founded in America by Charles Duncombe, 
who. taking up his abode in the new world, 
was a stanch patriot in Rev lutionary days. 
< mm 1 f his large fortune he contributed 
more than sixtv thousand pounds in aid .it 
the colonists who were struggling for lib- 
erty and independence, and he not onl) 
gave a large share of his fortune, bui also 
laid down his life upon the altar of his 
country. His son, the grandfather of John 
.F. Duncombe, was a volunteer in the Amer- 
ican army in the second war with Great 



Britain in [812. Hi Duncombe, 

became a farmer • 1' Erie 1 ennsyl- 

vania, where he gained a comfortable liv- 
ing through the care and cultivation of his 
fields. 

h was upon this farm th; 
boyhood days of John !•'. Duncombe were 
passed. In_a loo sc l 10O ] house his early 
education was acquired and when sixteen 
years of age he was sent to Allegheny Col- 
lege, at Meadville, where he pursued his 
studies for three years. On the expiration 
of that period he matriculated in Center 
College, in Danville, Kentucky, where he 
was graduated with high honors in the 
class of June. 185.2. He then returned to 
Allegheny College, where he was graduat- 
ed the same month. Subsequently the lat- 
ter institution conferred upon him the de- 
gree of Master of Arts. 

Mr. Duncombe is truly a self-educated 
and self-made man. While attending col- 
te spent the periods of vacation in 
teaching in order to secure the means 
necessary to meet his expenses, having 
charge of his first school before he was sev- 
enteen years of age. On the completion 
of hi- collegiate work he began the study 
of law in Erie, Pennsylvania, and was ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1853, after which he 
at once began practice. While still a resi- 
dent of Erie he was married. I tecember 29, 
1852, to Miss Carrie Perkins, who died No- 
vember 10. [854, in Erie. 

'Die following year .Mr. Duncombe be- 
came a resident of Fort Dodge, arriving 
here in April, lie borrowed three hundred 
dollars from hi- father, having -urrendered 
his interest in the paternal estate in con- 
sideration of moiiex advanced to meet col- 
lege expenses, and with that -mall sum as 
his entire fortune, boldly struck out for 
the west to make In- own way in the 



254 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



world. Into the wild western region 
lie made his way, the vast, unclaimed 
and unbroken prairies stretched away 
on every side as far as the eye could 
reach and no railroads connected with 
the outside world the little town of Fort 
Dodge, in which there were no build- 
ings aside from the soldiers' barracks. 
Much of the land in tins locality belonged 
to the government, with the exception of 
the few isolated claims along the streams, 
where timber and springs could be found. 
The pioneers had little money and seldom 
indulged in the luxury of litigation, but 
his keen foresight enabled Mr. Duncombe 
to recognize the possibilities and oppor- 
tunities of the country and to realize that 
it must soon become a thickly settled dis- 
trict, so that he resolved to remain and en- 
dure the privations and hardships which 
must be met in pioneer times in order to 
enjoy the benefits which the future prom- 
ised. Xo .man in the community did more 
to promote progress, to> encourage im- 
provement and to advance the transforma- 
tion which has changed this district from 
a wild, unsettled region to one of prosper- 
ity, where wealth, culture and refinement 
have become important factors in the life 
of the community. The land was reclaimed 
for purposes of civilization and the track 
of the shining pi' v\ 3< i n made its way 
s the once barren prairie; all the com- 
forts and conveniences of the older east 
were introduced, property rose in value and 
labor brought the reward of prosperity. 
Trials and difficulties were of frequent oc- 
currence, but gradually the work of the 
brave, resolute and enterprising early set- 
tlers, who wrought along the lines of great- 
est good, wrought a transformation that 
placed Webster county upon a par with any 
of the counties of this great commonwealth. 



An event deeply impressed upon the annals 
of frontier history occurred in the spring 
of 1857. News was brought to Fort D< dge 
of the extermination by the Sioux Indians 
of the colony which the year before had 
settled aim >ng the groves that surrounded 
the beautiful lakes of Okoboji and vicinity, 
on the extreme northern boundary of the 
state, in Dickinson count)'. Die winter 
had been one of the greatest severity ; the 
whole country was covered with a heavy 
blanket of snow, filling ravines and sloughs 
to a depth of many feet, rendering travel 
very difficult. The report that all of the 
colonists were massacred, with the excep- 
tion of four young women, who were 
dragged away into captivity more terrible 
than death, aroused a frenzy of horror that 
demanded instant pursuit, rescue and pun- 
ishment. Over a hundred fearless young 
men from Webster and the neighboring 
county of Hamilton hastily assembled at 
Fort Dodge, organized into three com- 
panies, choosing for their captains C. - B. 
Richards and John F. Duncombe, of Fort 
Dodge, and J. C. Johnson, of Webster 
City. The veteran Major Williams, then 
nearly sixtv years of age. took command 
and the little battalion, poorly equipped for 
such a perilous winter march, hastened to 
the rescue. Their suffering and heroic en- 
durance of hardships, almost equal to those 
of Napoleon's army in the Moscow- cam- 
paign, are matters of history. Every mem- 
ber of that little army of volunteers proved 
himself a hero and won a place among "the 
bravest of the brave." Captain Johnson 
and William Burkholder perished on the re- 
turn march and many others b?:ely sur- 
vived to reach their homes. The state has 
o mmemorated their heorism by a monu- 
ment, placed on the site where the terri- 
ble massacre began. Mr. Duncombe being 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



255 



appropriately appointed one of the com- 
missi ners to superintend its erection. 

But pioneer days passed and other con- 
ditions were found in the once wild, west- 
ern districts. Business developed and in 
the activity of commercial and industrial 
life, as well as in the line of his professii n. 
Mr. Duncornbe bore an active part. In 
1858 he became one of the editors of the 
Fort Dodge Sentinel, which had been estab- 
lished in July. 1836, by A. S. White. Some 
years later he was editor and proprietor of 
the Fort Dodge Democrat, but he never 
relinquished his law practice while connect- 
ed with journalism. His fellow citizens 
recognizing his fitness for leadership, called 
him to public office and throughout the en- 
tire period of his residence here he has ex- 
ercised strong influence in molding public 
thought and opinion. In 1859 he was 
nominated by the Democrats of the thirty- 
second district, consisting of twenty-three 
counties, for the position of state senator 
and the election returns placed him in office 
for a four-years' term. Twice he has rep- 
resented his district in the lower branch 
of the general assembly and for eighteen 
years he was one of the regents of the 
State University, while for ten years he 
lectured on railroad law in that institution. 
He was honored with the appointment to 
the position as one of the Iowa Columbian 
commissioners having charge of the [ov 1 
exhibit at the World's Fair in Chicago in 
1893. Few elective 1 fhces has he tilled, for 
he has always been an advocate of the 
cratic party, which has ever been in 
the minority in Iowa. He has been his 
party's candidate for lieutenant governor, 
supreme judge and representative in con- 
gress, and it is said that had he been a Re- 
publican lie could have gained any office 



within the gift of the party in the state, 
but he has never wavered in his allegiance 
to what he believes to be right and has ever 
maintained his position as a free-trade 
Democrat. He has for many years, how- 
ever, occupied a most distinguished posi- 
tion in Democratic circles. In iXj2 he was 
chairman of the Iowa delegation to the 
Democratic national convention in Balti- 
more, where Horace Greeley was nominated 
for the presidency. In 189J he was again 
chairman of the Iowa delegation at the 
Chicago convention, but having been se- 
lected to present the name of Governor 
Boies as a candidate for the presidency, he 
resigned his chairmanship and in a speech 
characterized by great eloquence and power 
placed the name of Iowa's Democratic ex- 
exutive before the meeting. 

Throughout all the years of his resi- 
dence in Iowa Mr. Dunci mibe has remained 
a distinguished member of the bar and has 
been connected with some of the most im- 
portant litigation tried in the courts of the 
district. As a lawyer he is sound, clear- 
minded and well trained. The limitations 
which were imposed by the constitution on 
federal powers are well understood by him. 
With the long line of decisions, from Mar- 
shall down, by which the constitution has 
been expounded, he is familiar, as are all 
tin n ughly skilled lawyers. He is at home 
in all departments of the law from the 
minutia in practice to the greater topics 
wherein is involved the consideration of 
the ethics and the philosophy 1 i juris- 
prudence and the higher concerns of pub- 
lic policy. But he is not learned in the 
law alone, for he has studied long and care- 
fully the subjects that are to the states- 
man and the man of affairs of the greatest 
import. — the questions of finance, political 






THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



economy, sociology, — and has kept abreasl 
oi the best thinking men of the age. He is 
felicitious and clear in argument, thorough- 
ly in earnest, full of the vigor of convic- 
tion, never abusive of adversaries, imbued 
with the highest courtesies and yet a foe 
worthy of the steel of the most able op- 
ponent. While he has given his services 
largely to the legal business of the Illinois 
Central Railway Company, holding the po- 
sitii 11 of district attorney, having twenty- 
three counties in four states in his jurisdic 
he ha- also a large general practice. 
He has defended in twelve trial- for mur- 
der and prosecuted in three. "When the 
great legal contest was made over the 
validity of the prohibition amendment to 
the state constitution, Mr. Duncombe and 
Judge C. C. Nourse and Senator James F. 
Wilson were appointed by the governor to 
represent the state in sustaining the legality 
of the act. 

Although his attention has been chiefly 
given t>> his law practice, 'Sir. Duncombe has 
also aided in controlling business enter- 
prises of vast importance to the community. 
He was line of the incorporators of the 
Iowa Falls & Sioux City Railway, the Ma- 
son City & Fort Dodge Railroad, the Fort 
Dodge & Fort Ridgely, now the Minneapo- 
lis \ St. Louis Railroad, and all other lines 
projected to enter Fort Dodge. Fie also 
was i me of the first tp develop the coal 
mining interests in that section, and was 
the builder of the principal hotel in Fort 
> dge. For man}- years he has been en- 
gaged largely in coal mining and in the 
manufacture of stucco and all its products 
from the extensive gypsum deposits which 
underlie a large tract of the country about 
Fort Dodge, hi- sons having charge of the 
business. 



Mr. Duncombe was married on the 
nth of .May. 1850. the lady of his choice 
being Miss Mary A. Williams, daughter of 
Major Williams, the founder of Fort 
Dodge and for man}- years one of the best 
known citizens of northwestern Iowa. 
They have two sons and three daughters 
living, and the family attends the Episco- 
pal church. Such in brief is the life record 
of one who, for forty-seven years, has 
made his home in Fort Dodge. Materia! 
interests owe their advancement to him ; 
public progress has been promoted through 
his efforts. He has attained distinction 
at the bar and in the walks of private life 
lias ever commanded unqualified respect. 
While undoubtedly he has not been with- 
out that honorable ambition, which is so 
powerful and useful as an incentive to ac- 
tivity in public affairs, he has ever regarded 
the pursuits of private life as being in them- 
selves abundantly worthy of his best ef- 
forts. His is a noble character — one that 
has subordinated personal ambition to pub- 
lic good and sought rather the benefit of 
others than the aggrandizement of self. 
His has been a conspicuotisly successful 
career. Endowed by nature with high in- 
tellectual qualities, to which have been add- 
ed the discipline and embellishments of cul- 
ture, his is a most attractive personality. 
Well versed in the learning of his pro- 
fessii hi and with a deep knowledge of hu- 
man nature and the springs of human con- 
duct, with great shrewdness and sagacity 
and extraordinary tact, he is in the courts 
an advocate of great power and influence. 
Both judges and juries have always heard 
him with deep attention and interest. If 
his efforts had been confined alone to his 
practice, his life had not been in vain, but 
it has been enriched bv an unselfish devo- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



tion to the public good, and Iowa honors 
him as ne oi her most pn miinent am 
ued citizens. 



IS \ \f G \im< »]■:. 



From the days of pioneer development 
in Webster county, Isaac Garmoe has been 
an active factor in all that has tended 
toward the upbuilding and substantial im- 
provement of Fori Dodge. His name is so 
closely associated with its history that no 
record of the county would be complete 
without extended mention of his life work. 
He was born in the neighborhood of Lou- 
den, Franklin count)', Pennsylvania, No- 
vember 9, 1827, and is a son of Isaac and 
Magdalena (Bulger) Garmoe, also natives 
of the Keystone state. The father was of 
French extraction and the mother of Ger- 
man lineage. They became the parents of 
twelve children, including Isaac Garmoe. 
who spent the first twenty years of his life 
in the county of his nativity, and in the 
spring of 1847 accompanied his father's 
family on their emigration westward. Af- 
ter remaining temporarily in Illinois for six 
months they continued their journey until 
they arrived in Jefferson county, Iowa, tak- 
ing up their abode in the "Rich Woods" 
near Fairfield. The journey from McCon- 
nellsbnrg to Pittsburg was by a six-horse 
team and from there to Copperas Creek 
Landing was made by steamboat. Through- 
out their remaining days the parents of our 
subject resided in the vicinity of Fairfield. 

Isaac Garmoe came to Webster county 
in 1854 and purchased land near Border 
Plains, where he farmed until November, 
1861. The county was then but sparsely 
settled and the division of Hamilton and 
Webster counties had not been made. 



\n< r the dh ision Mr. 1 rarmoe was e 

t) treasurer of Webster count) in [861, 
being the second person ever chosen to the 
position, which also included the dutii 
count) recorder at thai time. He served 
for two terms, from January, [862, until 
January. [866, and since that time he has 
made Fort Dodge his home. But whether 
in office or out of it, he has always been 
interested in the welfare of his adopted 
county and has contributed in large meas- 
ure to its progress and improvement. 

Prior to coming to Webster county, Mr. 
( rarmoe had worked at the carpenter's 
trade in summer and taught school in win- 
ter, receiving a salary of forty to sixty dol- 
lars for three months' service and boarding 
himself. Since his retirement from office, 
he has been engaged in the mercantile and 
real estate business and no man in the coun- 
ty has a broader or more accurate know ledge 
of realty values. His business methods 
have ever been above reproach, and while 
adding to his own income, he has in a con- 
scientious manner aided many new comers 
in gaining desirable homes, In recent 
years he has conducted many important real 
estate transfers and his clientage has con- 
tinually grown, bringing to him gratifying 
success. He is also a director in the ( oin 
mercial and Fort Dodge Savings Banks. 

Mr. Garmoe has been twice married. 
In 1849 he wedded Miss Susan Jane Bar- 
gar, who died in 1855, after which he was 
joined in wedlock to -Mrs. Margarel Sher- 
rill Johnson, a native of Alabama, who 
came to Webster county with her first hus- 
band, Mr. Johnson. In his church re- 
lations Mr. Garmoe is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, and repre- 
sented the local church at Fort Dodge 
as delegate to the general conference held in 
Baltimore in May, 1876. He is also a mem- 



258 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ber of the board of trustees of the Charles 
City College and of the Morning Side Col- 
lege at Sioux City, Iowa, and a contributor 
to both. He is an Odd Fellow, belonging 
to both the subordinate lodge and the en- 
campment. He was reared in the faith of 
the Whig party, his father having been an 
advocate of its principles, and on the in- 
auguration of the new Republican party he 
joined its ranks and has since been one of 
its warmest advocates. Viewed in a per- 
sonal light, he is a strong man of earnest 
purpose and unflagging determination, and 
his persistency has been an important fac- 
tor jn hi-, success. His labors in behalf of 
the county have been of a very beneficial 
nature, and at all times he has commanded 
the respect, confidence and good will of his 
felli >w citizens. 



J. H. VANDEVENDER. 

J. H. Yandevender, manager of the 
"Western Grain Company, at Buncombe, 
and an extensive farmer and stockraiser of 
Washington township, was born on his fa- 
ther's farm in Webster county, Iowa, Au- 
gust 22, 1858. He was educated in the dis- 
trict schools of his township, and reared to 
an appreciation of the dignity and useful- 
ness of an agricultural life. At the age of 
nineteen years he faced the problem of self- 
support, and for five years worked out as a 
farm band by the month, two years of that 
time being spent in his home neighborhood 
and the remaining three years in northeast- 
ern Kansas. He then returned to Hamilton 
county. Iowa, and in Fremont township 
rented a farm, upon which he lived for four 
years, and at the end of that time purchased 
eighty-six acres of land, where he resided 
with his family until August 1, 1891. 



At Fort Dodge, Iowa. May 1.2. 1882, 
Mr. Yandevender married Sadie M. Ouens, 
who was born in Canada in 1861, a daugh- 
ter of Hugh and Jane Ouens, the former a 
native of Ireland. The parents were mar- 
ried in Canada, and from there removed to 
near Browning, Missouri, where they lived 
for three years. They then came to Fre- 
mont township, Hamilton county. Iowa, 
and lived upon rented land for se\-en years. 
A later place of residence was Pocahontas 
county, Iowa, where the mother died in 
1895, after which the father sold his inter- 
ests in this state and settled in Estberville, 
Iowa, where he is now living a retired life. 
He had five sons and four daughters : Will- 
iam, a resident of Buffalo Center. Iowa ; 
Thomas, who lives in North Dakota: John. 
who is married and lives in Pocahontas 
county. Iowa; Robert, who is engaged in 
the creamery business in Chicago ; Albert, 
who is a farmer in Pocahontas county, 
Iowa; Elizabeth, who is the wife of Eli 
Long and lives in Deer Creek township. 
Webster county, Iowa; Hannah, who re- 
sides in Estberville, Iowa; Belle, who also 
lives in Estherville ; Susie ; and Sadie, the 
wife of Mr. Yandevender. To Mir. and 
Mrs. Yandevender have been born the fol- 
lowing children: Emmet W., born March 
8, 1883, died August 23. 1898; Zelpha B., 
born October 16, 1885, is engaged in edu- 
cational work in Colfax township. Webster 
county: and Alta L.. born October 6. 1887, 
is at present attending school. 

After becoming identified with Dun- 
combe in 1891, Mr. Yandevender engaged 
in the grain business, and although the com- 
panv has undergone many changes and op- 
erated under four different names, his ex- 
pert services have been ever since in de- 
mand as manager. In the meantime he has 
disposed of his farm in Hamilton county, 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



259 



and has. instead, a splendidly improved 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres on sec- 
tion 4. Washington township, Webster coun- 
ty, and owns one of the finest residences 
in Duncombe. Other city property has 
come int. 1 his possession, and many public 
interests engage the attention not needed in 
his general grain and fanning husiness. As 
a stanch upholder of Republican institu- 
tions and issues he has been singularly 
trusted and honored by the community, has 
been a member of die city council for six 
years and has also served as township 
urer. Fraternally he is associated with 
the Acacia Lodge, No. 176, A. F. & A. M.. 
at Webster City. Mr. Vandevender is a 
man who has risen solely upon his own 
merits, without early influential hacking or 
money assistance, lie started out in life 
with a capital amounting- to well-balanced 
brain force and large capacity for labor, and 
his reputation and attainments rest upon 
the solid and substantial elements of life. 



HENRY W. SANBORN. 

Henry W. Sanborn is one of Fort 
Dodge's old citizens, whose useful and well- 
spent life has not only gained for him the 
friendship and good will of his fellow men 
hut has put him in a position to take the 
balance of life easy. 

A native of New York, Air. Sanborn 
was born in Norfolk - , St. Lawrence county, 
November 9, [832, and is the son of Rob- 
ert C. and Cassandre W. ( Stevens ) San- 
born, who were horn in New Hampshire 
and removed to New York just before the 
birth of our subject. He has one sister liv- 
ing. By occupation his father was a con- 
tractor. In 1833 the family removed to 
Buffalo, New York, and in 1841 to Michi- 



gan and located on a farm, where our sub- 
ject passed his boyhood and youth, his edu- 
cation being obtained in the district schools 
of the neighborhood. 

In [852 Mr. Sanborn went to Jackson, 
.Michigan, where he made his home for four 
years. He was present and took part in the 
big mass meeting held on Moody's Hill, 
when the Republican party was organized 
ami first given the name on the 6th of Jul) - , 
[854. The following fall Kingsley S. 
Bingham was triumphantly elected the first 
Republican governor of Michigan. 

Mr. Sanborn then went to Marengo, 
Illinois, where he was engaged in the mar- 
ble business for some time. On the 6th of 
May, 1858, while on a visit to New York 
state he was united in marriage to Miss 
Mary J. Cooper, of Massena, St. Lawrence 
count}-. New York, whose parents were 
farmers. Three children blessed this union, 
namely: Jennie C, born August 20, 
died at the age of five years; Orville E., 
bom February 22, 1864, is now with the 
Great Western Cereal Company, of Fort 
Lodge; and Alberta I'M born August 22, 
[869, is the wife of R. G. Long, who is en- 
gaged in the real estate business in Detroit, 
Michigan. 

On the 1 2th of November, 1858, Mr. 
Sanborn took up his residence in his native 
count}-, where be was engaged in the marble 
business until after the Civil war broke out. 
He was enrolled in July, 1863, in Company 
F. Eighty-third New York Volunteer In- 
fantry, under . Captain Jacobs and Colonel 
Moesch. From camp rendezvous, New 
York Git}-, he went to the Army of the Po- 
tomac and joined the regiment at Bealeton 
Station, near the Rappahannock river. The 
regiment was in the Second Brigade under 
Brigadier General Henry Baxter, the Sec- 
ond Division under Brigadier General John 



26o 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



1 '. K> 'binsi n and the First Army Corps un 
der Major General John F. Reynolds. 
While Mr. Sanborn was with his regiment 
il took part in the battle of Mine Run. Vir- 
ginia, November 28, 1863, and a number 
of smaller engagements. On account of 
disability contracted while with the regi- 
ment he was discharged In un the service 
June in. 1864, al De ('amp general hos- 
pital near Alexandria, Virginia, and went to 
New York city with the old members of the 
regiment whose time was out. 

In the fall of [864 Air. Sanborn became 
interested in the marble business in Corn- 
wall, Canada, but resided in Massena, New 
York. lie was afterward in business in 
Massena until 1869, when he sold out on 
account of ill health. Leaving New York 
1870, he removed to Constantine, St. Jo- 
seph county, Michigan, and in April, 1872, 
came to Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he was 
employed in the marble business fur two 
years. He then located on his homestead, 
where lie resided until April, 1879. when 
he returned to Fort Dodge and went to 
work fur A. M. De Lano, where the follow- 
ing five years were spent. He next went 
tn Sioux Falls, Smith Dakota, but continued 
to make Fort Dodge his home, and since 
1895 has passed his time here, having re- 
tired from active business mi account of ill 
health. Wherever known he is respected, 
and has the good will of all with whom he 
has been brought in contact. 



GEl IRGE MARSH. 



Among the old and honored citizens of 
Webster county none is more deserving of 
mention in a work' of this character than 
George Marsh, who for forty-five years has 
made hi- In me in Yell township. He was 



born m Count} Kent. England, and was 
there reared and educated. Before leaving 
his native land he was united in marriage 
with Alls- Charlotte Page, who was also 
In 'in in G mnty Kent. 

1 r about five years after nis marriage 
Mi Marsh engaged in farming in Eng- 
land, but at the end of that time decided 
1- tr\ his fortune in the new world, believ- 
ing that here were better opportunities for 
advancement. Accordingly, in 1846, he 
and his family took passage on a sailing 
vessel at Liverpool and after a voyage of 
six weeks landed in New York, Going 
up the Hudson river, they made their way 
westward and finally located at Waukegan, 
Illinois, where they spent eleven years. 

In 1857 Mr. Marsh came to Webster 
county, Iowa, and took up a river claim in 
Yell township, where he has since made his 
home. As time passed he added to the 
original tract until he had two hundred 
and sixty acres on sections 19, 20 and 29. 
which, with the exception of nine acres, 
was all wild land when it came into his 
possession, but it was not long before the 
whole farm was under cultivation. He 
built fences, erected a good house, barn and 
other outbuildings ; and made many other 
useful and valuable improvements until he 
had one of the best farms in the county. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Marsh were born 
thirteen children, namely: Frances, wife 
of James Bloomfietd, of Fair, Kansas; 
George W.. whose sketch is given below; 
John, who married Jennette Wicks and re- 
sides in Steelville, Missouri ; James, who 
married Elizabeth E. Barnette and lives in 
Yell township, this county; Addie, deceased 
wife of X. C. Howard, of Burnside town- 
ship; Carrie, wife of James Baker, of Kim- 
ball, [ndiana; Samuel, who married Aman- 
da Mitchell and died in Yeli township; 




GEORGE MARSH 




MRS. GEORGE MARSH 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



265 



Lydia. wife of Marion Douglass, of Web- 
ster township; William, who married 
Mamie Cram and resides in Burnside town- 
ship; Fred, who married Ella Allen and 
also lives in Burnside township; Emma, wife 
of Miles Kilt, of Alba, Indiana; Rose, de- 
ceased wife of William Mead, of Republic. 
Kansas; Lincoln, who married Nellie 
Clark and died in Yell township, this 
county. The mi ither of these children died 
on the 5th of February, [898, and was laid 
to rest in Oak Grove cemetery. Yell town- 
ship. 

Although now eighty-seven years of 
age Mr. Marsh is still hale and hearty and 
appears like a man mueh younger. Po- 
litically he is identified with the Republi- 
can party, and in early life took quite an 
active and prominent part in public affairs, 
filling all of the township offices and serv- 
ing. as county supervisor for a time. He is 
an earnest and consistent member of the 
Christian church, and his pleasant, genial 
manner lias endeared him to all with whom 
he has been brought in contact, either in 
business or social life. 



B. E. PETERSON. 

The material prosperity of Fulton town- 
ship has been fostered and maintained by 
the praiseworthy efforts of B. E. Peterson, 
who 1 owns a well-improved farm of eighty 
acres on section 22. Although born in Nor- 
way, April 14, 1858, he is an American 
aside from the accident of birth, for he was 
but eight years of age when his parents. 
Ole and Olena Peterson, emigrated to the 
United States at the close of the Civil war. 
The family came directly to Iowa and lo- 
cated on section 22, Fulton township, 
Webster county, where the mother now 



lives with her daughter, Mrs. Olena Lud- 
dick. the father having died June |. [898. 
The children bom into the family who are 
now living are; B. E.. John, Julius, Mar- 
tin, Fred, Jacob, Olena, I. -ding. Anna 
Field and Louisa. 

In his youth Mr. Peterson was not 
favored with large educational opportuni- 
ties, for the tasks on the home farm were 
arduous and consumed about all of the time 
between the rising and setting of the sun. 
However, he learned much from observa- 
tion and general dealings with men, so that 
at the present time he is a well-informed 
man on current and other events. On De- 
cember 17, 1879, he married Lena Bean, a 
native of La Salle county, Illinois, born 
May 20, 1861. Her parents were born in 
Norway and came to America in i860, and 
lived in La Salle county, Illinois, for three 
years, after which they settled in De Kalb 
county, Illinois, and in 1874 moved to near 
Callender, Webster county. Iowa. Later 
still they settled in the town of Callender, 
where the mother died July 14, 1897, the 
father surviving her until his death at the 
home of his daughter, Mrs. B. E. Peterson, 
March 1, 1898. Mrs. Peterson is one of a 
family of seven children, the others being: 
Nels. who married Ada Johnson and lives 
in Compton, Illinois; Eli, who married 
Lissa Knappenbergh and lives in Fort. 
Dodge, Iowa; Anna, wife of N. L. Randall, 
of Fort Dodge: Cora, widow nf Tin 
Byrd and a resident of Lee, Illinois; Sarah. 
wife of Ike Christopher, of South Dakota: 
and Adeline, widow of Jonas Olson and a 
resident of Seattle, Washington. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Peterson have been born the fol- 
lowing children: Frank Oliver, born De- 
cember 27, 1881, and now attending Tobin 
College, Fort Dodge; and William Cyrus, 
born March 22, 1894. 



266 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Ever since his marriage Mr. Peterson 
has owned the farm upon which he now 
lues, although in the meantime his inter- 
ests have been varied and have called him 
to different parts of the county. On three 
different occasions he has rented his farm 
and lived in Fort Dodge, and at one time 
worked on a dairy farm for a couple of 
years, still later engaging in the sale of 
musical instruments, of which he has an 
extensive knowledge. For a portion of one 
season he ran a feed barn in the city of 
Fort Dodge, and at Callender for two years 
he worked as a section hand. Mr. Peter- 
son is a Republican in national politics, and 
Ids fellow townsmen have honored him 
with their trust by placing him in a num- 
ber of responsible local offices, the duties of 
which he has performed with credit to him- 
•self and the township. Himself and fam- 
ily are members of the Congregational 
church. Mr. Peterson has an enviable repu- 
tation for. integrity and general excellence, 
and is one o-f the progressive influences of 
his locality. 



WILLIAM LLOYD NICHOLSON, M. D. 

Dr. William Lloyd Nicholson, deceased, 
was fur many years one of the most highly 
esteemed and honored citizens of Fort 
Dodge, lie was born on the 25th of Sep- 
tember, 1832, in County Waterford, Ire- 
land. His father served with distinction as 
a colonel in the English army. Of his three 
sons one was connected with the Bank of 
Dublin and another was a farmer in Lou- 
isiana. 

The Doctor, who was the oldest son, 
acquired his early education in the national 
schools of Waterford, and also in a col- 
lege that was located on his father's land, 



and later attended the University of Glas- 
gow, where he completed the prescribed 
medical course and was granted the degree 
of M. B. in 1852, at the age of twenty 
years. He then came to the new world, 
and in 1855 took up his residence in Fort 
Dodge, Iowa. Here he taught a private 
school for some time and then engaged in 
the practice of medicine. 

After the country became involved in 
civil war Dr. Nicholson enlisted at Fort 
Dodge, August 16, 1862, for three years or 
during the war, as a private in Company 
]., Thirty-second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, 
under Captain J. Hutchinson and Colonel 
Scott. He was mustered in at Davenport, 
October 6, and was promoted to second 
lieutenant of his company, but resigned his 
commission on the 1st of the following De- 
cember, being appointed assistant surgeon 
of the Twenty-ninth Iowa Volunteer In- 
fantry, under Colonel Benton. Subse- 
quently he was made chief surgeon with 
the rank of major. He participated in the 
White river expedition in January, 1863, 
and Yazoo Pass in the following February, 
and took part in the battles of Helena, Ar- 
kansas, July 4; Bayou Meto, August 27; 
Little Rock, September 10; Terre Moir, 
April 2, 1864; Elkin's Ford, April 4; 
Prairie D'Anne, April 10 and 12; Camden, 
April id; and Jenkins Ferry, April 30. 
At the last named place he was captured, 
but was shortly afterward released on the 
exchange of prisoners. He was granted a 
thirty-day furlough, which he spent at 
home, and on the 31st of December, 1864, 
rejoined his regiment. He took part in the 
campaign against Mobile from the 17th of 
March to the 9th of April, 1865, and was 
in the assault on Spanish Fort, Alabama, 
April 8 ; Fort Blakely, April 9, and Mobile, 
April 12. Fie was then in the Texas cam- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



267 



paign until July, 1805; was mustered out at 
New Orleans on the 10th of August, and 
honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa, 
September 19, 1865, the war being- over. 

Returning- to his home in Fort Dodge, 
Dr. Nicholson was successfully engaged in 
practice here until his death. A progress- 
ive physician and a constant student, he 
took a post-graduate course at Des Moines 
in 1882 and received a diploma. On the 
8th of March, 1883, he opened a drug store 
in partnership with a Mr. Crawford, but 
soon withdrew, and served one term as city 
clerk. 

The Doctor was first married Decem- 
ber 31, 1865, to Miss Anna J. Leonard, of 
Cedar Rapids, who died January 15, 1875, 
leaving- one child, W. L. Nicholson, who 
is now living in El Paso, Texas. On the 
27th of November, 1S76, Dr. Nicholson 
married Miss Sarah L Sherman, a native 
of Ireland, by whom he had one child, 
Anna Sherman, who is now attending 
school and resides with her mother in Fort 
Dodge. 

For four years prior to his death the 
Doctor was in ill health, his sufferings 
being caused by hay fever, and he passed 
away on the 10th of November, 1890. He 
was an honored member of the Fort Donel- 
son Post, No. 236, G. A. R., and during 
President Cleveland"s first administration 
served as pension examiner. He also served 
in that capacity for some years after the 
close of the war, being one of the first ap- 
pointed to that position. He was also ex- 
amining physician for the Catholic Mutual 
Benefit Association, to which he belonged, 
and was a prominent member and president 
at one time of the District Medical Society. 
Up to the time of his death he was surgeon 
For all the railroads entering Fort Dodge. 
He was a great lover of nature, was quite 



a naturalist, and contributed many able 
articles to the magazine known as the 
American Field. He also wrote for news- 
papers and other periodicals and possessed 
considerable ability as a poet. Widely and 
favorably known, he left many friends to 
mourn his loss as well as his immediate 
family. In manner he was pleasant and 
genial, and he was held in the highest re- 
gard by all with whom he came in contact- 
either in professional or social life. 



ANDREW ARENT. 

It has been said that biography yields 
to no other subject in point of interest and 
profit, and it is especially interesting to note 
the progress that has been made and the 
success that has been achieved in various 
lines of business by those of foreign birth 
who have sought homes in America — the 
readiness with which they adapt themselves 
to the different methods and customs of the 
new world, recognize the advantages offered 
and utilize the opportunities which the 
United States affords. 

Probably one of the most successful 
farmers of Webster county whose early 
home was on the other side of the Atlantic 
is Andrew Arent, who is now living a re- 
tired life on his farm on section 13, Badger 
township, two miles and a half east of the 
village of Badger. He was born near 
Christiania. Norway, August 10. 1844. and 
was reared and educated in his native land, 
though his knowledge of the English lan- 
guage has been self-acquired since coming 
to the new world. It was in 1862 that he 
crossed the Atlantic and took up his resi- 
dence in La Salle county, Illinois, where 
he worked on a farm by (he month for four 



268 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



years, assisting in the support of the family, 
which consisted of his mother and five chil- 
dren, of whom he was the eldest. They 
had come with him to America. Mr. 
Aren't next engaged in farming on rented 
land for two years, and at the end of that 
time purchased a partially improved farm of 
one hundred and sixty acres in Lee county, 
Illinois, where he made his home for a few 
years. On selling that place he removed to 
De Kalh county, Illinois, and bought an- 
other farm near the city of De Kalb, to the 
cultivation and improvement of which he 
devoted his time and attention until the 
spring i if 18S1, when he sold out and came 
to Webster county, Iowa, where he had 
previously purchased his present farm, con- 
sisting of three hundred and twenty acres. 
Later he built a good, substantial residence 
upon the place, a barn and other outbuild- 
ings, and to-day has one of the most valu- 
able and highly improved farms in Badger 
township. Since coming to this county he 
has steadily prospered, and has added to his 
landed possessions from time to time until 
he now has fifteen hundred acres of land in 
Badger and Newark townships, divided into 
several farms. 

In Lee county, Illinois, on the 27th of 
October, 1872, Mr. Arent was united in 
marriage with Miss Ellen Fredsvig, who 
was born in Norway. August 1. 1841, and 
passed her girlhood in that country. On 
coming to the L T nited States in 1870 she lo- 
cated in Lee county, Illinois. Unto our 
subject and his wife were born eight chil- 
dren, fi ur sons and four daughters, namely : 
Ad: ]]]]i, now a physician of Callender, 
Iowa: Andrew, a merchant and druggist of 
Rutland, Iowa; Asaph, a physician, who is 
now with his brother in Rutland; Arthur, 
a student at Tobin College, Fort Dodge ; 
Minnie, who received a good education and 



is now engaged in teaching school in Fort 
Dodge; Emma, who formerly engaged in 
teaching in this county and is now 7 attend- 
ing the State Normal School ; Leonora, a 
teacher of Webster county; and Lillie, who 
is attending the home school. 

Mr. Arent cast his first presidential bal- 
lot for General U. S. Grant in 1868, but 
afterward became identified with the 
Democracy. He voted for William Mc- 
Kinley, and at national elections now sup- 
ports the Republican party, but at local elec- 
tions votes independent of party lines, sup- 
porting the men whom he believes best 
qualified for office. He and his wife were 
reared in the Lutheran church and still -ad- 
here to that faith. He is one of the lead- 
ing self-made men of the count} - , having 
started out in life with nothing but his own 
indomitable energy, and his accumulation 
of this world's goods is attributable to his 
own industry, perseverance and good man- 
agement. 



GEORGE W. MARSH. 

George W. Marsh, one of the most pro- 
gressive and up-to-date agriculturists of 
Webster county, makes his home on sec- 
tion 20, Yell township, and is justly re- 
garded as one of the representative men 
of his community A native of England, 
he was born in County Kent, April 13, 
1844. but was only two years old when 
brought to this country by his parents, 
George and Charlotte ( Page) Marsh 
(see their sketch elsewhere). The family 
first located near Waukegan, in Lake coun- 
ty, Illinois, and while residing there our 
subject attended the Oak Plain district 
school at Gurnee. After the removal of 
the family to Webster county, Iowa, he- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



-r> 



pursued his studies in a log school house, 
so common in pioneer days. Among the 
earliest buildings erected in the frontier 
settlements were tin se intended to be used 
fi r schools and churches, and primitive as 
they were in all their appi intments, men of 
strength i i both body and mind have gone 
cut from their humble routs, where slabs 
served as seats and light was admitted 
tlir< ugh greased paper windows. 

When the country became involved in 
civil war, among the brave boys who en- 
thusiastically rushed to her defense was our 
subject, then but seventeen years of age. 
On the 25th of July, 186 r, he enlisted in 
Company I, Seventh Illinois Volunteer In- 
fantry, which was mustered in at Mound 
City. Illinois, and assigned to General 
Grant's brigade. The command was first 
ordered to Sulphur Springs, Missouri, and 
participated in the Iron Mountain and Cape 
Girardeau campaigns under General Fre- 
mont. They next went to Fort Holt, Ken- 
tucky, and in February. 1862. reached Fort 
Henry. Tennessee. They took part in the 
three days' battle which ended in the sur- 
render of Fort Donelson. and then pro- 
ceeded to Nashville, thence to Clarksville, 
and on to Pittsburg Landing. At four 
o'clock on the afternoon of the first day of 
the battle of Pittsburg Landing Mr. Marsh 
was wounded in the left thigh by an ounce 
ball, and on the steamer, City of Memphis, 
was conveyed to the Mound 1 , City hospital, 
but was later transferred to Jefferson Bar- 
racks, Missouri. After a short furlough 
spent at home he rejoined his regiment at 
Corinth, Mississippi, in September, 1862, 
and participated in the battle at that place 
on the 3d and 4th of October, remaining 
there until November, 1863, at which time 
they joined General Sherman's force at 
Pulaski, Tennessee. On the 22nd of De- 



cember Mr. Marsh was veteranized, and 
being granted a thirty-days' furlough, he 
started home on the 7th of January and 
returned to his regiment February 28, 
1864. From Pulaski his command was 
ordered to Florence, Alabama, and after 
taking part in a running fight with the 
guerrillas returned to Pulaski. On the 15th 
1 1 th{ fi Hi wing June the regiment reached 
Chattanooga, Tennessee, and arrived in 
Rome. Georgia, August 20. On the 3rd 
of the following Oct ber they reached Alla- 
toona Pass, where General Sherman gave 
the signal which inspired the writing of 
the famous hymn — "Hold the Fort for I 
am Coming." The regiment then re- 
turned to Rome, Georgia, and on the nth 
of November went to Atlanta, joining Gen- 
eral Sherman's army in time to take part 
in the march to the sea and up through 
the Carolinas to Raleigh, where they re- 
ceived word of the assassination of Presi- 
dent Lincoln. Mr. Marsh was present at 
the grand review at Washington, D. C, 
and was then mustered out of service, fuly 
9. 1865, at Springfield. Illinois, the war be- 
ing over and his services being no longer 
needed. 

Returning to his home in Webster coun- 
ty, Iowa. Mr. Marsh remained with his fa- 
ther on the farm until he was married at 
Fort Dodge, October 3. 1867. to Miss 
Sarah Ellen Beem, who was born in Noble 
county, Indiana. January 24. 1840. Her 
parents were John and Sarah (Schissler) 
Beem, the former born in Maryland, and 
the latter near Columbus, Ohio, in which 
state they were married. Later they re- 
moved to Indiana, and finally came to 
Iowa, in 1854. locating in Yell township, 
Webster county, where Mr. Beem bought 
one hundred and forty-six acres of wild 
prairie and timber land and engaged in 



27: 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



farming. Upon his place he built a log 
cabin, and also erected the second school 
house in the county, which was also a log 
structure. He purchased property in Fort 
Dodge, and at one time owned the lot on 
which the shoe factory is now located. In 
religious faith he was a Baptist and in po- 
litical sentiment was a Rqmblican. As one 
of the leading - citizens of his community he 
was called upon to fill all of the township 
offices, including those of assessor and jus- 
tice of tbe peace. He died on the 15th of 
November, j 885. and his wife passed away 
March 7, 1893, both being laid to rest 111 
Oak Grove cemetery, Yell township. Of 
the ten children burn t" this worthy couple 
three died in infancy and the others are as 
follows: Margaret, wife of David Doug- 
lass, of Otho township, this county; Noble, 
who was drowned in the Des Moines river 
at the age of eighteen years; W. C, who 
married Jane Nichols and resides in Sum- 
ner township ; Angeline, deceased wife of 
James Brundage, of Sheldon, North Da- 
ota; Emily, wife of Aaron D. Rolfe, of 
Burnside township, this county; Sarah El- 
len, wife of our subject; and John 0., who 
married Clara Price, now deceased, and 
resides in Sumner township. 

Mr. and Mrs. Marsh have been the par- 
ents of six children, all born in Yell town- 
ship. In order of birth they are as follows : 
Leota Lena, born August 6, 1868, is now 
the wife of John Grosenbaugh, a grain 
dealer of Nemaha, Sac county, Iowa. W. 
C, born February 18, 187-1, is also engaged 
in the grain business in Nemaha and is a 
member of the Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
ica. He married Myra Wilbur, and they 
have one child, Genevieve M. Alma I., 
born May 5, 1874, is the wife of A. X. 
Rolfe, who resides on the old Marsh home- 
stead in Yell township, and they have one 
child, Vera. Viola, born May 18, 1877, 



is now successfully engaged in teaching mu- 
sic. J. B., born May 2, 1879, is attending 
Drake University at Des Moines, and is a 
member of tbe Masonic fraternity. Dow, 
born March 11, 1886, assists his father in 
the operation of the home farm. 

For three years after his marriage Mr. 
Marsh lived on the Beem farm, and then 
removed to the farm on section 20, Yell 
township, which has since been his home. 
Here he has erected a most comfortable and 
attractive residence and commodious barns, 
and to-day has one of the best improved 
farms in the community. His estate com- 
prises four hundred and two acres of land 
and is one of the best in a county, which is 
noted for its excellent farms. Mr. Marsh 
gives considerable attention to the raising 
of high grade stock for market, and most 
of tbe grain which he raises he feeds to his 
stock. He has been identified with many 
important business enterprises, being at 
one time interested in the coal mining in- 
dustry, and he is to-day a stockholder in 
the First National Bank of Lehigh. He 
r serving both as school treasurer and as- 
sessor of Yell township, and is one of the 
leaders of the Republican party in his com- 
munity. Socially he is connected with the 
Masonic fraternity, the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, and Captain Dowd Post, 
G. A. R., of Dayton, and religiously is one 
of the prominent members and elders of 
the Christian church. In every way Mr. 
Marsh is one of the representative men of 
his locality, and well merits the high re- 
gard in which he is uniformity held. 



ROBERT FLATTERY. 

Although at present the owner of one of 
the finest farms in Colfax township, Mr. 
Flattery has led an unusually active life 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



273 



in other directions, and his many-sided abil- 
ity lias been prolific of continued success. 
A native of Kings county, Ireland, he was 
bum in 1816, his parents, Edward and May 
1 Agan ) Flattery, being natives of Ireland, 
and his father died in the old country. His 
mother, however, came to America about 
1840, and eventually died in Johnstown, 
Pennsylvania. Of the ten children born to 
this worthy couple the youngest, Robert, 
alone survives. 

On the paternal farm in Ireland of 
twenty-five acres Robert Flattery passed his 
youth, and the resources of the property 
were such that little time was permitted him 
to attend the district schools. His first in- 
dependent venture was as a member of the 
police force in County Kilkenny, Ireland, 
which position he sustained for about ten 
years and then resigned. In 1850 he sought 
to broaden his prospects by emigrating to 
the United States, and upon locating in 
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, found employ- 
ment in the warehouses and subsequently 
was a ci inductor on a freight train running 
between Johnstown and Pittsburg. These 
were the very early days of that section, long 
before the introduction of the telegraph or 
other modern means fur facilitating busi- 
ness. When the devastating cholera para- 
lyzed business in Pittsburg in 1854 he came 
to Iowa and continued in the railroad busi- 
ness, and was partially successful as a con- 
tractor for construction work. Thus em- 
ployed he passed nineteen years of his life, 
and at the expiration of that time bought 
the farm upon which he now lives, in 1873, 
and which was then wildest prairie with 
the one neighbor living one mile distant. 
To the improvement of this property Mr. 
Flattery devoted his most intelligent en- 
ergies, with the result that his farm of 
three hundred and twenty acres on sections 



7 and 8 is a distinct credit to his managerial 
and other capabilities. The last contract- 
ing that Air. Flattery was engaged in was 
on the Northern Pacific Railroad between 
the Cheyenne and Lem rivers. At that time 
the Indians were a source of much trouble, 
and, in addition to a company of regular 
soldiers, each one of the laborers was 
armed with a rifle and stood ready In de- 
fend himself at all times, night or day. 

November 27. 1861,' Mr. Flattery was 
united in marriage with Julia Flannery, 
wlin was born in Illinois in [831, and whose 
parents came from Ireland at a very early 
day. They were farmers first in Illinois 
and later in Iowa, where they eventually 
died. Of their three children but two are 
now living, .Mis. Spellman being a resident 
1 1 \namosa. Thirteen children have been 
born tii Air. and Airs. Flattery, namely: 
Ann, win 1 is the wife of Dan Strain and 
lives in Coalville, Iowa; Alaggie, who is the 
wife of William Yucily and lives in Col- 
fax township: John, who married Miss 
Alinnie Powers and lives on section 7, Col- 
fax township; Edward, who married Lizzie 
Brady and lives in Badger township; Mol- 
lie, who is the wife of Edward McLean and 
lives at Red Lodge, Montana; Will: Alike; 
Philip; Hugh ; Julia; and Josephine. Two 
are deceased: Robert, who died at the age 
of twenty-three years: and Kate, who died 
in infancy. Julia and Josephine have quali- 
fied as educators, and both attended Tobin 
College at Fort Dodge. The)- are 
teaching in the district schools of their 
county. The sons are sturdy and capable 
men and are now working their father's 
farm. 

The Flattery farm is one of the best 
improved in Colfax township, and aside 
from general fanning a large revenue is 
made from feeding and shipping high- 



274 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



grade stock. Mr. Flattery and his family 
are members of the Catholic church at Fort 
Dodge. He is a Democrat in national and 
local politics, and has held most of the im- 
portant township offices, including that of 
school director, township trustee and treas- 
urer, and justice of the peace, which latter 
office he creditably maintained fi >r m< ire 
than twenty-five years. He is one of the 
prominent men of the township, and his 
council and assistance are ever at the dis- 
posal of worthy improvements in the com- 
munity. 



FRANK A. DOWD. 



The Dowd family has been connected 
with the history of Webster county from 
its early pioneer days, when much of the 
land was still in possession of the govern- 
ment and the work of progress and civiliza- 
tion had scarcely been begun in this local- 
ity. Its members have ever been found as 
champions of progress and advancement, 
and such a citizen is Frank Alison Dowd, 
who is now capably filling the office of 
county sheriff. 

The Dowd family was founded in 
America about the beginning of the nine- 
teenth century by three brothers. John, 
Owen and Alexander -Dowd. The first 
two went south, but the third became a 
resident of Ross county, Ohio. He was the 
grandfather of our subject. He married 
Nancy Vanderford, who was born in Ross 
county, and in 1837 they removed with 
their family to Noble county, Indiana, 
where they entered land from the govern- 
ment, their warrants being signed by Pres- 
ident Van Buren. These papers are still in 
possession of the family as treasured heir- 
looms. Later Alexander Dowd, his wife, 
his two sons. William and Alexander, and 



their families all came to Webster county, 
Iowa, and cast in their lot with the pioneer 
settlers of this region, the grandparents 
here spending- their remaining days. The 
grandfather died May 27, 1874, at the age 
of seventy-four years, eight months and 
nineteen days, while his wife passed away 
at the age of sixty-three years, one month 
and twenty-three days, on the 22d of No- 
vember, 1863. In their family were seven 
children. Alexander, Jr., was one of the 
'49ers who went to California in search 1 if 
gold, was also among the gold seekers at 
Pikes Peak. Colorado, and at the time 
of the Civil war he entered the Union army 
as captain of Company I. Thirty-second 
Iowa Infantry, with which he served 
throughout the war. His death occurred 
in 1867, when he had reached the age of 
thirty-seven years, five months and nine- 
teen days. William Vanderford Dowd. the 
father of our subject, was the second of 
the family. Hannah became the wife of 
David Miller and both are now deceased. 
Sarah wedded B. F. Alison, and aboul 
1855 they came to Iowa, where they re- 
sided for many years, but both have now 
passed away. Nancy married Lewis Davis, 
and in 1861 they went to Colorado, but 
both are now deceased. Vary became the 
wife of George V. Wilson, who lived near 
Winterset. Iowa, at the time of their mar- 
riage. Later they became early settler-, of 
Webster county, and in 1862 they went to 
Colorado and afterward to Kansas, where 
both died. Minerva is the deceased wife of 
Dr. James Kelly, who lived in the southern 
portion of Webster county, and was the 
first physician to locate in Webster ccmty 
south of Fort Dodge, but in i860 went to 
Colorado, and now makes his home in 
Golden City, that state, where he is en- 
gaged in the practice of medicine. 




ALEXANDER DO WD, Sr. 




FRANK A. DOWD 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



277 



William Vanderford Dowd, the father 
of our subject, was born in Ross county, 
Ohio, September 2?. 1823. and tbere mar- 
ried Martha Jane Alison, who was a native 
of the same county. Her death occurred 
in Noble county, Indiana, in 1854. and her 
remains were interred in Wolf Lake cem- 
etery. Our subject was then only six years 
of age. There were five children by that 
marriage. Susan Maria, the eldest, married 
G. T. Nettles, an employe of the Chicago, 
Rick Island & Pacific Railroad Company, 
now living at Dayton, Iowa, but she died 
October 25, 1890, at the age of forty-five 
years. and two days. Alar}' Jane is the wife 
of John L. Kinney, of Dayton. Frank A. 
is the next younger. Alexander is living 
in Dayton township, and John H., the 
youngest, is a resident of Oklahoma. After 
the death of his first wife the father mar- 
ried Elizabeth Hill, and their only child 
was given the mother's maiden name. She 
became the wife of Frank Rakestraw, an 
engineer on the Chicago, Rock Island & 
Pacific Railroad, who was killed March 30, 
1888, at Walnut. Iowa. His widow after- 
ward became the wife of C. B. Morrison, 
of Spokane, Washington. For his third 
wife William V. Dowd married Rebecca 
Kinney, and they also had one daughter, 
Nannie E., who became the wife of T. D. 
Reese, of Missoula, Montana, and died 
August 18, 1901, at Everett, Washington. 
In 1855 tne entire family, consisting of the 
paternal grandparents of our subject and 
the parents of Alexander Dowd. Jr.. came 
from Indiana to Webster county, locating 
in Dayton township when it was all wild 
land still belonging to the government. 
There was not a house in the village 1 £ 
1 )ayti n and even pioneer development 
had scarcely been begun. The father 
entered the north half of section u, Day- 



ton township, while Alexander I 
the grandfather of our subject, entered 
the south half. From that time till 
his death, which occurred June 4. 1889, 
he remained a resident of Dayton town- 
ship. He did much for the develop- 
ment and progress of the county along ag- 
ricultural lines and was a worthy and high- 
ly respected citizen. 

Frank Allison Dowd was born in Sparta 
township. Noble county, Indiana, June 18, 
1848, and was therefore only about seven 
years of age when with his parents he came 
ti 1 Webster county. He was reared amid the 
wild scenes of the frontier and with the fam- 
ily endured all the hardships and trial- of 
pioneer life. He assisted in the cultivation 
of the fields until 1807, when he entered the 
empli y of the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- 
road as brakeman. the road having been 
completed to Omaha only the year before. 
In the spring of 1868. however, he returned 
to his home in Dayton, where he remained 
until the fall of 1869. He was elected con- 
stable of Dayton township in that year, and 
on the 3d of November, 1869. he went to 
Le- Moines, where he entered the employ 
of the Chicago. Rock Island & Pacific Rail- 
road as fireman for Go irge T. Xettles. his 
brother-in-law. He continued in that em- 
ploy until 1872, when he went to Colorado 
and worked on the Rio Grande Railroad as 
fireman fi >r a time and was then promi ted to 
engineer, serving until the financial panic of 
1S73, when he was laid off. He next re- 
moved to Saguache, near Lost Pinnos 
Agency, and did the machine work for a 
sawmill, which he operated through the 
winter of 1873. 

On the expiration of that period he re- 
turned to Iowa, locating at Stuart, and for 
one year was employed in the shops of the 
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. In 187; 



78 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



he again went upon the road, running an 
engine on the main line from Stuart to 
Council Bluffs and to Brooklyn until 1882, 
when he went north, entering the service of 
the Canadian Pacific Railroad, in August, as 
engineer, his run being - between Winnipeg 
and the mountains. He was with that road 
until April. 1887, and during the last two 
years ran an engine through the Kicking 
Horse Pass, at the foot of Mt. Stevens. 
Going to Minot, North Dakota, he entered 
the employ of the Great Northern Railroad 
as conductor, running from Minot to Great 
Falls. Montana, on a passenger train until 
he resigned in August, 1890. At that time 
he was appointed deputy collector of cus- 
toms at Sweet Grass, his office being at that 
place on the Great Falls & Canada Railroad, 
one hundred and thirty-three miles north of 
Great Falls, on the Canadian boundary. In 
1893 he resigned that office and returned to 
Dayton to look after his farming interests, 
for since 1863 he has owned a half section 
of valuable land in Dayton township. 

On the 27th of March, 1896. Mr. Dowd 
was united in marriage to Mrs. Caroline 
Burnquist. of Webster county, the widow 
of Samuel Burnquist. They have a wide 
acquaintance in the county and their 
friends are many. In the fall of 1897 
Mr. Dowd was elected sheriff of Webster 
county for a term of four years, which ex- 
pired January 2, 1902. He has served 
as mayor of Dayton for two terms and has 
also been justice of the peace. In his po- 
litical views he has always been a stalwart 
Republican, which has been the political 
faith of the family since the organization of 
the party, previous to which time his father 
and grandfather were Whigs. Mr. Dowd 
i? a prominent Mason. On the 5th of Au- 
gust. 1870, he became a member of Capitol 
Lodge, No. 110, A. F. & A. M., at Des 



Moines, Iowa. In 1877 he became a Royal 

Arch Mason in Adell, Iowa, and the same 
year he joined Temple Commandery, No. 4, 
K. T., of Des Moines, while on the 23d of 
November, 1896, he joined Kaaba Temple 
of the Mystic Shrine. He also has member- 
ship relations with Lincoln Lodge, No. 59, 
K. P., of Stuart, Iowa, was one of its 
charter members and was elected vice chan- 
cellor and chancellor commander. Di- 
mitting from that lodge, he was one of 
the seventeen members to institute Mystic 
Lodge, No. 2, K. P., at Moose Jaw, 
in the Northwest territory of Canada, 
where he was elected vice chancellor, 
but his membership is now in Dayton. 
He likewise belonged to the Benevolent and 
Protective Order of Elks in Fort Dodge. 
There are certain qualities in his nature 
which render him popular with his fellow 
men, and in Webster county he has many 
warm friends. 



TOHN D. STINE. 



John D. Stine, residing at 1507 Third 
avenue south, was born on the 8th of Jan- 
uary, 1850, in Bloomington, Illinois, and 
is one of a family of twelve children, six 
sons and six daughters, whose parents were 
Daniel E. and Mary (Dawson) Stine, na- 
tives of Pennsylvania and Illinois, respect- 
ively. In the fall of 1855 the father, who 
was a carpenter by trade, removed with his 
family to Fort Dodge, and in partnership 
with David Burkbolder engaged in con- 
tracting and building for five years. He 
built the first boat that went clown the Des 
Moines river, it being a side-wheeler, forty 
feet long by six wide, to which he gave the 
name of Whang Doodle. On its first trip 
it carried a load of provisions and pork. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



279 



Soon after his arrival here Mr. Stine built 
a house on the corner of Third avenue south 
and Sixth street, which is still standing — 
one of the few landmarks of pioneer days. 
In 1861 he purchased a farm on the river, 
and to the improvement and cultivation of 
that place he devoted his attention until 
1866, when he had the misfortune to lose 
it. He then removed to Kansas City, but 
spent his last days in Denver, where he died 
December 29, 1888. 

Mr. Stine, whose name introduces this 
sketch, was only five years old on the re- 
moval of his family to Fort Dodge, and the 
greater part of his education was obtained 
in the schools of this citv and count)', 
though he afterward attended school in 
Kansas City for one year while the family 
were living there. He then worked with 
his father at contracting and building for 
two years, and in 1870 entered the employ 
of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company 
as bridge carpenter, later becoming fore- 
man of a building gang. In the spring of 
1873 Mr. Stine returned to Fort Dodge, 
and engaged in carpenter work here for two 
years, after which he went to Carroll, Iowa. 
where he followed contracting and building 
alone for a time, and later in partnership 
with his father, who had removed from 
Kansas City to that place. In 1879 our sub- 
ject returned to Kansas City, and a year 
later we again find him in Fort Dodge, 
where he remained until going to Denver, 
Colorado, in 1881. There he engaged in 
contracting until 1892, since which time he 
has made his home permanently in Fori 
Dodge and has been foreman of a gang of 
carpenters on contract work. In 1900 he 
took charge of the construction of the Mid- 
land Opera House, and was thus employed 
until the 15th of December, 1900, when he 
sprained both ankles in a fall and was un- 



able to attend to business for seven weeks. 
On his recovery he resumed his former po- 
sitii n as foreman of a contracting gang. 
He is considered one of the best and most 
skillful carpenters in the city, and his work 
always gives the utmost satisfaction. 

On the 2d of November, 1878, Mr. 
Stine was united in marriage with Miss 
Naoma Talbott, of Carroll, Iowa, a daugh- 
ter of Alexander and Nancy (Greenlee) 
Talbott, who were farming people of Car- 
roll county. By this union were born five 
children, whose names and dates of birth 
were as follows: Milo B., August 1, 1879; 
Rico II.. November 2j, 1883; Robert E., 
April 16, 1885; Daniel A., August 9, 1891 ; 
and Florence E., February 21, 1900. The 
only daughter died November 27, 1901. 
Milo B. is now attending the National 
Medical College of Chicago, where he will 
graduate in [902. He was married, Febru- 
ary 22, 1899, h ' ^'' ss Mabel F. Seaman, a 
daughter of Dr. C. O. Seaman, of Chero- 
kee, L >w a. 



LEMUEL G. HASTINGS. 

Among the honored veterans of the 
Civil war and highly esteemed citizens of 
Fort Dodge is numbered the gentleman 
whose name introduces this sketch. His 
early home was in New England, being born 
in Oakdale, Massachusetts. March 20. 1S22, 
a son of Mahum and Annie (Powers) 
Hastings, in whose family were twelve chil- 
dren, four sons and eight daughters. In 
early life the father was engaged in the 
cooperage business, but after the removal 
of the family to Worcester, Massachusetts, 
in 1 83 1, he engaged in the commission 
business until- called to his final rest in 
1849. 



2SO 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



During his boyhood and youth Lemuel 
G. Hastings was a student in the schools of 
Oakdale and Worcester, and in 1839 com- 
menced learning the boot maker's trade, at 
which he worked for two years. He was 
next engaged in the restaurant business in 
Lancaster, Massachusetts, until 1849, when 
he closed out his establishment with the in- 
tention of going to California in search of 
the precious metal which had lately been 
discovered there. On the 31st of October 
he sailed from Boston, and, rounding Cape 
Horn, landed in San Francisco, March 6, 
1850, after a long and tedious voyage of 
five months and six days. He worked in 
the gold mines until 1855, when he returned 
to his old home in Oakdale, Massachusetts, 
by way of the Panama route, the return trip 
covering only twenty-one days. 

For six months Mr. Hastings was em- 
ployed as baggage master on the Little 
Miami division of the railroad between 
Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, and in the 
fall of 1856 returned to California, by way 
of the Isthmus, and remained there until 
1862, working in the mines. On the 29th 
of March, that year, he enlisted in Company 
I, First California Cavalry, under Captain 
Kennedy and Colonel Gorman, who after- 
ward became a general. His regiment was 
attached to the Army of the Rio- Grande, 
and did considerable fighting with the In- 
dians, taking part in many skirmishes. 
After a hard campaign Mr. Hastings was 
finally discharged and mustered out of 
service at San Francisco, April 28, 1865, 
the war being then practically over. He 
acted as one of General McDowell's escorts 
to San Francisco. 

On leaving the army Mr. Hastings re- 
turned to Oakdale, Massachusetts, but two 
months later went to Aurora, Illinois, where 
he worked in the car shops one year, and 



then engaged in general merchandising at 
Geneva, that state, in partnership with his 
brother-in-law fur the following year. Sell- 
ing his interest in the business, he returned 
to Aurora and re-entered the car shops, but 
remained only a few months. We next find 
him engaged in the restaurant business at 
St. Charles, Illinois, for about a year, and 
at the end of that time he again went to 
Aurora. 

In 1869 Mr. Hastings came to Fort 
Dodge, and for two years operated a small 
farm on the river, after which he conducted 
a restaurant in the city for about thirteen 
}ears. Selling out at the end of that time, 
he bought a place at the outskirts of the city 
and engaged in the stock business for a 
year, when he disposed of his pn iperty here 
and removed to Marshalltown, Iowa. He 
only remained there a short time, however, 
and then returned to Fort Dodge, where he 
engaged in the restaurant business about 
four years, at the end of which time he sold 
out. The following season was spent in 
California, and on his return to Iowa pur- 
chased a skating rink in Rockwell City, but 
only run it one night, as the insurance men 
would take no risks in insuring it. Mov- 
ing the building to Jefferson, this state, he 
built a house and engaged in the fruit busi- 
ness, remaining there six years. He then 
traded his property at that place for prop- 
erty in Fort Dodge, and here has lived a 
retired life since 1890. 

Mr. Hastings was married in 1846 to 
Miss Martha Stone, of Boston, Massa- 
chusetts, by whom he had one child, Charles 
X., who has been in the employ of the Lake 
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad at 
Cleveland, Ohio, for twenty-three years. 
He was a second time married, in 1867, to 
Amanda Conk, of St. Charles, Illinois, who 
died December 2, 1900, leaving no children. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Hastings is a member of the Christian 
church, and is also connected with Fort 
Donelson Post, No. 236, G. A. R., of which 
he was chaplain for four years. After a 
useful and honorable career he can well 
afford to lay aside all business cares and 
live in ease and retirement, surrounded 1>\ 
many friends, who esteem him highly for 
his sterling' worth and many excellencies 
of character. 



REV. C. II. REMINGTI >N. 

The true religion has been the strongest 
influence known to man through all time, 
while the many false doctrines which have 
sprung up have flourished only for a day 
and then vanished. More potent at the pres~ 
ent time than at any period in the world's 
history are the work and influence of Chris- 
tianity, and among those who are devoting 
their lives to its inculcation among men is 
P.ev. Charles Hazard Remington, the hon- 
ored pastor of St. Mark's Episcopal church 
of Fort Dodge. 

He was born in Tiskilwa, Illinois, De- 
cember 12, 1865, and is a son of William 
Ellery and Adeline (Stevens) Remington, 
who were natives o>f Rhode Island and Xew 
Hampshire respectively, and both represen- 
tatives of good old Revolutionary families. 
The father was a lineal descendant of Lord 
Remington, one of the original planters of 
Providence, Rhode Island. The mother 
traced her ancestry back through Calvin 
and Jane (Greeley) Stevens. Our subject 
is a great-great-grandson of Asa Stevens 
and Bradford Xewcomb. The former was 
born in Hampsted. Xew Hampshire, in 
1 73 2, and was killed at Quebec, Canada, 
December 31, 1775, at the opening of the 
Revolutionary war. Mr. Remington's fa- 



ther died in Illinois, in 1870, and his mother 
subsequently married Rev. James Cornell, 
now rector of St. John's church at Tanes- 
ville, Minnesota. He served three years in 
a Xew York regiment during the Civil war: 
participated in the battle of Chattanooga, 
and was with Sherman's army on the march 
to the sea. Although he was never 
wounded, he received a sunstroke, from 
which he has never fully recovered, and 
now draws a small pension. Our subject 
has two brothers, William Wallace Rem- 
ington, who is now engaged in the milling 
business at Grand Forks, North Dakota; 
and Paul Calvin Remington, a druggist 
and manufacturing chemist at Bismarck, 
North Dakota. 

Air. Remington's early education was 
acquired at Shattucks school in Faribault, 
Minnesota, which he attended four years, 
graduating in 1886. He then entered Trin- 
ity College at Hartford, Connecticut, and 
"ii graduating from that institution in c88g 
became a student at the Episcopal Theo- 
logical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
where he completed the course in June. 
[892, and was granted the degree of B. D. 
Being ordained as a clergyman in the 
Episcopal church, he took charge of a mis- 
sion al West Duluth. Minnesota, in July fol- 
lowing, and remained there one year and a 
half. He was next assistant rector at St. 
Mark's church, Minneapolis, and remained 
there until coming' to Fort Dodge in the 
spring of 1896. as rector of St. Mark's 
church at this place, which then had a mem- 
bership of one hundred and twenty-five. This 
church was founded July - 1 -'. 1855. and the 
present church edifice, at the corner of Tenth 
street and First avenue south, was built in 
1894. Since Mr. Remington became rector 
the chancel and choir room have been built, 
and a three-thousaud-dollar pipe organ put 



282 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in, and other improvements made in the 
church property, so that it is now valued at 
eighteen thousand dollars. 

Mr. Remington is the senior minister of 
Fort Dodge by virtue of the length of resi- 
dence, and is president of the ministerial as- 
sociation of the city. In 1897 he was instru- 
mental in organizing the Associated Chari- 
ties, composed of the charitable societies of 
Fort Dodge, and has since served as secre- 
tary of the 'same. He is a man of thought- 
ful, earnest purpose, of strong intellectual 
endowments, of broad charity and kindly 
nature, and by all denominations, as well as 
his'jwn people, is held in the highest regard. 



GEORGE McMAHON. 

George McMahon, who for many years 
came and went among his fellow townsmen 
of Elkhorn township, was born hi Iowa City, 
Iowa, in 1869. His parents, Patrick and 
Mary McMahon, were born, reared and 
married in Ireland, and upon emigrating to 
America settled upon the farm in Elkhorn 
township, Webster county, Iowa, now occu- 
pied by Mrs. George McMahon. In the city 
of Fort Dodge the parents eventually died, 
leaving four children, of whom George was 
the oldest. One brother died when quite 
yi iiiiig, while a sister, Johanna, married John 
Riley, and lives in Fort Dodge, another 
sister, Kate, married John McManah and 
lives near Badger, Iowa. The father was a 
Democrat in politics and a member of the 
Roman Catholic church. 

George McMahon attended the public 
schools until his seventeenth year, after 
which he settled on his father's farm, to 
which he afterwards fell heir. October 28, 
1896, at Fort Dodge, he was united in mar- 



riage at Corpus Christi church with Ella 
Crimins, who was born in Elkhard town- 
ship, February 22, 1876, a daughter of 
Timothy and Mary Crimins, a sketch of 
whose lives appears elsewhere in this work. 
To Mr. and Mrs. McMahon were born two 
sons, Daniel, born August 10, 1897, and 
Joseph C, born December 2$, 1S98. 

In apparently in the best of health and 
spirits Mr. McMahon went away from his 
home April 17, 1901, and in the most un- 
accountable way failed to return to those 
who were dependent upon his sympathy and 
help. A month later to the day he was 
found and restored to his family, his body 
bearing out the supposition that he had been 
murdered. He was a Democrat in political 
affiliations, and was a devoted member of 
the Roman Catholic church. Since her hus- 
band's death Mrs. McMahon has carried out 
his plans as nearly as possible, and with the 
assistance of her uncle, Simon Tramer, ad- 
mirably manages the farm of two hundred 
acres. She has prospered exceedingly and 
proved' an excellent business woman. Mrs. 
McMahon also owns property at Fort 
Dodge, where she has four lots and some 
residences. 



FRANKLIN McGUIRE. 

Prominent among the early settlers and 
representative pioneers of "Webster county is 
numbered Franklin McGuire of Fort Dodge, 
who has made his home here since 1849, an( i 
has therefore witnessed its entire growth and 
development. He was born in Ray county, 
Missouri, March u. 1833, a son of Francis 
and Rebecca McGuire. His ancestors were 
among the pioneers of both Kentucky and 
Tennessee, and his father was a native of the 
latter state. After the mother's death, which 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



2S3 



occurred in Missouri, the father and children 
came to Webster county, Iowa, in the spring 
of 1849. the trip being made overland. They 
first settled on Boone river, but the following 
spring moved up the river about three miles 
to what is now known as McGuire's Bend 
in Veil township. The father gave the name 
of Skillet creek to that stream as mi its 
banks he found the skillet which he had lost 
while hunting. During those early days 
huntingwas the principal occupation of both 
father and sons, and they hunted and trap- 
ped all over this section of the state, deer, 
elk, buffalo and wild turkeys being very 
plentiful at that time. Webster county had 
not yet been surveyed when they settled here 
and it was not until two years later that the 
fort was established at what is known as 
Fori Dodge. The father died in 1861, at 
the age of sixty-five years. 

In the family of this honored pioneer 
were the following children: James, who 
spent his life in this county, but' died in the 
south; Franklin, of this review; Blvthe, now 
a resident of Dakota; Samuel, of Missouri; 
Jane, wife of John Goodrich; Rebecca, wid- 
ow of Francis McGuire and a resident of 
Webster county ; and Jemima, wife of Henry 
Lott, a famous Indian fighter. The fact 
that Mr. Lott had killed so many red men 
was probably the cause of the Spirit Lake 
massacre, in which the Indians tried to re- 
venge themselves. They kidnapped hi. s< oi, 
whom they allowed to freeze to death, and 
killed a great many white settlers in the 
region of Spirit Lake. Mr. Lott then left 
that locality and went to Colorado. He 
settled in Webster county prior to our sub- 
ject's locating (there, and soon afterward 
Jake and Roderic Mericale and Isaac Bell 
settled there. 

Indians were still occasionally seen in 
this locality after Mr. McGuire took up his 



residence here. At that time there were no 
public schools and he attended the first sub- 
scription school started in the county, it be- 
ing in Webster township and taught by 
Lizzie ( lent. 1 [ e became thon rughly famil- 
iar with all the experiences of pioneer life, 
and was forced to endure many hardships' 
and privations in his frontier home. The 
family entered land in Yell township, and he 
assisted in breaking the raw prairie. Later 
he bought a tract of land along the river 
banks and continued to follow farming until 
1890, when he removed to Webster City, 
but after residing in that place four or five 
years he came to Fort Dodge, where he now 
makes his home, enjoying a well earned rest. 
His wife, who bore the maiden name of 
Ehzabeth McDonald, died about twelve 
years ago. They had no children 



JOHN F. THISSELL. 



John F. Thissell, deceased. Mas one of 
the honored pioneers and highly respected 
citizens of Fort Dodge. A native of Maine, 
he was born near Belfast. May 22, 1821, and 
was a son of Ezra Thissell." who removed 
with Ins family to Muskingum, Ohio, about 
1830, and was engaged in the salt business 
near McConnellsville, but was not long per- 
mitted to enjoy his new home, as both he 
and his wife died about a year after locating 
there. Ah. ut 1835 the children removed to 
Waynesville, DeWitt county, Illinois, where 
our subject made his home with a married 
sister until reaching manhood. He learned 
the cabinetmaker's and carpenter's trades, at 
which he worked for some time! and then 
erected a store building and embarked in 
andising, but as the Illinois Central 
and Chicago & Alton Railroads failed to pass 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



through Wuynesville when they were built 
the town was virtually killed, the trade being 
drawn to the railroad centers. Mr. Thissell 
then si Id out and came to Webster county, 
Iowa, and buying land on Brushy creek, he 
engaged in its operation for seven years. At 
the end of that time he opened a hotel in the 
old barracks building in Fort Dodge and 
conducted it for fifteen months. The fol- 
lowing year he worked at the carpenter's 
trade, and was next employed in a lumber 
yard for a year. He also run a meat market 
for about a year, and on selling his farm in 
1866 bought a grocery store, which he con- 
ducted for three years. A year after dispos- 
ing of his store, he again embarked in the 
same line of business, to which he gave his 
time and attention until 1883, when, owing 
to ill health, he retired from business. He 
was known by every one as "Honest John," 
being upright and honorable in all his deal- 
ings, and enjoying the confidence and esteem 
of all w ho knew him. 

At Waynesville, Illinois. November 28, 
1841, Mr. Thissell was united in marriage 
with Miss Mary J. Hoover, who was burn 
in Belmont county, Ohio, March 16, 1824, 
a daughter of Chris and Martha ( Broom- 
hall) Hoover. Her mother reached the ad- 
vanced age of eigthy-seven years, d) ing De- 
cember 22, 1891. Unto Mr. and Mrs. 
Thissell were born two children, but the 
younger, Mary V., who was born March 29, 
1846, died March 20, 1874. Martha J., 
born November 12, 1842, was married July 
22, 1862, to Jasper Bell, by whom she had 
two children, namely: Lucius H., who was 
born April 2S, 1S72, and is now a barber of 
Waverly, , Iowa : Mary C, who was born 
May 26, 1876, and is now the wife of James 
V. Lowry. For her second husband Mrs. 
Bell married Jacob Kirchner and she now 
makes her home with her mother. She is a 



st< ckholder in the First National Bank of 
Fort Dodge. 

Mr. Thissell died on the 31st of August, 
1891, honored and respected by all who 
knew him. He was a man of the strictest 
integrity and many sterling traits of char- 
acter, and in his death the community real- 
ized that the}' had lost one of their best and 
most reliable citizens. He always supported 
the Republican party, but could never be in- 
duced to take any part in political affairs. 



CHARLES A. GUILD. 

Although his residence in Webster 
county was of comparatively short duration 
Charles A. < luild was widely and favorably 
known, and his untimely death was 
mourned by a host of warm friends. He 
was born on the 29th of December, 186 1, in 
Morgan, Calhoun county, Georgia, and was 
a worthy representative of an honored old 
family. 

In the dictionary of obsolete and pro- 
vincial English by Wright. Gild is defined 
as a "village green." In the Guild geneal- 
ogy published by Charles Burleigh we find 
that the first one of the name was Alexander 
Guide, who had property in Sterling, Eng- 
land, in 1449-50. The founder of the 
American branch of the family was John 
Guild, who was born in England in 1616, 
and in 1630 came to the new world with his 
brother and sister, Samuel and Ann Guild. 
He was admitted to the church at Dedham, 
Massachusetts, July 17, 1040, and was mar- 
ried June 24, 1645, to Elizabeth Crooke, of 
Roxbury, Massachusetts. The family has 
been one of the proudest and most aristo- 
cratic in England and Scotland, as the 
genealogical records show, and the coat of 
arms is still used there. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Dr. Lewis A. Guild, the lather of our 
subject, was born in Franklin. Massachu- 
setts, February 23, 1825, a son of Cyrus and 
Amy (Pierce) Guild, and was educated at 
Harvard University. He made the practice 
of medicine his life work, and became one 
of the most prominent physicians of his 
a immunity. He was als< 1 judge 1 >f the coun- 
ty court for a time and United States com- 
missioner. In politics he was an uncom- 
promising Republican, and in religious be- 
lief he was a Baptist, holding membership 
in the church at Atlanta, Georgia, where his 
last days were spent. There he died June 
14, 1888, honored and respected by all who 
knew him. For his first wife he married 
Rebecca Smith, a native of Massachusetts, 
by whom he had one daughter, Emma L., 
who was born in 1851 and died in 1864. 
After the death of his wife Dr. Guild mar- 
ried Frulilla F. Stubbs, and two children 
blessed this union: Lewis S.. who was born 
in 1858 and was accidentally killed while 
attending- Arlington College in 1874; and 
Charles A., of this review. The Doctor's 
third wife bore the maiden name of Lou C. 
Chipsted, and to them were born five chil- 
dren, whose names and dates of birth were 
as follows: George W., April 13. 1868; 
William E., April 25, 1871 ; Henry A.. 
June 23. 1873; Emma J.. December 16. 
1875: and Lewis A.. February 1, 1881. 

The primary education of our subject 
was acquired in the district school near his 
boyhood home, and after the removal of the 
family to Atlanta, he attended the public 
schools of that city, completing his educa- 
tion at a college there. After leaving 
school at the age of twenty years he as- 
sisted his father in the management of his 
nursery near Atlanta. 

On the 22d of December. 1880. at Ath- 
ens, Tennessee, Mr. Guild was united in 



marriage by Rev. S. S. Richardson, to Mis- 
Molly E. Schaeffer, who was born in Green- 
ville. Virginia, March 15, 1858. Her par- 
ents, Jacob and Elizabeth (Raindhill) 
Schaeffer, were both natives of Frankfort, 
Germany, the former horn June 10. 1808, 
the latter May 30, 1827. They were mar- 
ried in Baltimore, Maryland, where Mr. 
Schaeffer engaged in the manufacture of 
shoes for three years. When Mrs. Guild 
was about three years old the family re- 
moved to Huntsville. Alabama, where her 
father conducted a large shoe factory, doing 
an extensive business. At that place her 
mother died, August 21, [869, and was 
buried there. On the 6th of April. 1N71. 
Mr. Schaeffer was again married at Hunts- 
ville, his second union being with Anna 
Eliza Stubbs, a native of Georgia, and in 
1877 they removed to Athens, Tennessee, 
where he engaged in agricultural pursuit-;, 
having purchased a fine farm of two hun- 
dred and twenty-five acres. On selling that 
place in 1886 he went to Dalton. Georgia, 
and bought a splendid home, where he lived 
retired until called to his final rest June 7. 
[899, his remains being interred there. I lis 
second wife still survives him and continues 
to reside in Dalton. He was an Ancient 
Odd Fellow, a Republican in politics, and a 
faithful and consistent member of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church. 

Mrs. Guild has one brother, William II. 
Schaeffer, who was born June 4, 1854, and 
now resides in Paris, Tennessee. He first 
married Jennie Lawton, of Memphis Ten- 
nessee, and after her death wedded Tommy 
Fields, of Georgia. Ten children were horn 
to our subject and his wife, as f< >lli >w - : ( Clar- 
ence O., who was born in Atlanta. Georgia, 
November 11, 1881, and was killed at the 
same time as his father. June 28, 1901 ; 
Charles V. who was horn in Des Moines, 



290 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Iowa, November 29, 1883, and is now man- 
aging the farm 'for his mother; Mollie E., 
born in Towner Lake, Polk county, Iowa, 
August 13, 1885 ; Nettie E., born in Grimes, 
Iowa, December 21, 1S86; Ida G., also born 
in Grimes, July 31, 1888; William J., born 
in Webster county, October 8, 1890; Benja- 
min Harrison, born April 5, 1892; Maudie 
Leona, who was born October 1, 1894. and 
died December 18, 1897; Dora Elnora, born 
May S, 1896; and Frank R., born October 
2, 1900. 

After his marriage Mr." Guild engaged 
in the nursery business at Atlanta, Georgia, 
lor a time, and then purchased four acres of 
land, which he converted into a magnificent 
floral park, becoming one of the leading- 
florists and nurserymen of that city. In 
1882 he removed to Des Moines, Iowa, and 
for two years was manager of a large stock 
farm near that city. He next had charge of 
the Ironclad Nursery for one year, and 
during the following two years rented and 
carried on the Towner Lake summer resort. 
At the end of that time he purchased prop- 
erty in Grimes, r< >lk county, where he estab- 
lished his family, and then engaged in op- 
erating a rented farm h>r two years. 

G ming to Webster county, Mr. Guild 
then purchased eighty acres of land in Yell 
township, and to it he subsequently added 
a forty-acre tract adjoining it on the south- 
west. Still later he bought sixty acres 
northeast of the farm, and in the spring of 
90: purchased eighty acres on the north- 
west, making a fine farm of two hundred 
and sixtv acres. A part of this was timber 
land when it came into his possession, but 
was cleared by him and placed under culti- 
vation. Upon his farm he erected a splen- 
did residence, good barns, granaries and 
cattle sheds, making it one of the best im- 



proved places in the locality. In connection 
with general farming he engaged in raising 
a high grade of cattle for market, and in 
both undertakings met with excellent suc- 
cess, so that he was able to leave his family 
in comfortable circumstances. 

On the 28th of June, 1901, within hail- 
ing distance of his own home and in the 
presence of his wife and son Charles, Mr. 
Guild and his son Clarence O. were shot and 
killed. This affair was the outcome of a 
family feud between Mr. Guild and the 
Bricker brothers, and culminated in the "Bad 
tragedy just mentioned. Public sentiment 
was all with the Guild family, the Brickers 
and their relatives for generations back 
having never had a very enviable reputa- 
tion. In the death of our subject the com- 
munity realized that it had lost one of its 
most valued citizens — a man of progressive 
ideas and sterling worth. He attended the 
Methodist Episcopal church, and was a kind 
and loving husband and father. His 
funeral was largely attended by an extensive 
circle of friends and acquaintances, who 
gathered together to pay their last respects 
to the deceased. He was laid to rest in Oak- 
wood cemetery. Stratford. Iowa. He was a 
Republican in politics and a member of the 
Woodmen of the World. 

At the time of his death Clarence O. 
( ruild was just entering manhood. He was 
a bright, promising young man, highly re- 
spected and esteemed by all who- knew him, 
and very popular among his many friends 
in this community. 

Since her husband's death Mrs. Guild 
lia^ assumed the management of the farm, 
and has displayed excellent business and ex- 
ecutive ability. She is a graduate of Hunts- 
ville Female College and is a lady of culture 
and refinement and exceptional intellectual 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



291 



charms. She is courteous and entertaining 
and presides with gracious dignity over her 
home. 



JOHN E. POWERS. 

During his long and active life. John 
E. Powers has envaded many lines of activ- 
ity and by reason of his success in one and 
all of his undertakings has richly earned the 
right to live in comparative remoteness from 
business activity in his Duncombe home. He 
in youth was by no means free from respon- 
sibility, for the paternal farm in Ireland, 
where he was born in 1828. was rendered 
desolate by the death of his mother when 
her son was three years of age, although the 
father survived her until 1845. Until his 
eighteenth year he attended the public 
schools, and in 1849 emigrated to America 
and located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He 
here accepted a position as bookkeeper for 
O'Brien & Fitz Morris, at a salary of one 
hundred dollars per month, a responsibility 
relinquished at the end of a month to fill a 
like position at the same salary for the Mich- 
igan Central Railroad Company, in Indiana. 
When a year had passed, he located in Chi- 
1 ago and engaged as superintendent for the 
building of the Chicago. Rock-Island Rail- 
mad, from Chicago Junction to Blue Island, 
a distance of nine miles, and after the com- 
pletion of this contract he assisted Henry 
Fuller in laying the first iron water pipe in 
Chicago. In 1852 he received a contract 
from Bay & Sherman to do the dry excava- 
tion between the Randolph and Madison 
street bridges, where the American Trans- 
portation Company have their warehouse, to 
the depth of eight feet. On the completion 
of that work Mr. Powers went to Stony 
Island with J. A. Patmor, who had the con- 



tract to get out stone for the protection of 
the Michigan Central Railroad east of Mich- 
igan avenue. Shortly after this when Mr. 
Patmor took a contract at Decatur, Illinois, 
in 1853, he appointed Mr. Powers superin- 
tendent of the work. The following year 
Mr. Hurd. who was one of Mr. Patmor's 
partners in the work at Decatur, employed 
our subject to superintend some work at 
Franklin Grove, near Dixon. Illinois. In 
1855 he had charge of some work four miles 
west of Dixon for George Hurd, a brother 
of his previous employer, and it was while 
serving as foreman for that gentleman that 
Mr. Powers was married at Dixon, in 1855. 
to Miss Ellen Flinn, a native of County Gal- 
way, Ireland. 

Going to Cairo. Illinois, in 185(1. ne be- 
came connected with the big cut on the Illi- 
nois Central Railroad at Villaridge, twelve 
miles north of Cairo, and got that cut of sev- 
enty-five feet down to grade. The follow- 
ing year he became superintendent for C. C. 
Parker, who had a contract to grade ten 
miles of the Jacksonville & Alton Railroad 
from Lake Station. Indiana, and who ab- 
sconded, owing Mr. Powers one thousand 
dollars. In 1858 he went to Vincennes, In- 
diana, to superintend work for Mr. Van- 
duzer on the Mound City Railroad, and 
while there his first wife died, in i860. The 
three children born to them all died in in- 
fancy. In [860 Mr. Powers was superin- 
tendent of the levee built between Alton and 
St. Louis on the Illinois side of the Missis- 
sippi river. 

In 1866 Mr. Powers built four miles of 
the Sioux City e^c Pacific Railroad from Mis- 
souri Valley Junction north. Then in 1867 
he built nine miles of the Iowa Central Rail- 
road from Mason City north. In 1868 he 
became identified with Iowa, at which time 
he built seven miles of the Illinois Central 



292 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Railroad. He then took a contract to build 
several miles of the Northwestern Railroad 
below the Missouri Valley, after which he 
assisted Mr. Flinn as bookkeeper for six or 

seven years. In 1868 he purchased one-half 
section of land, near Border Plains, Iowa, 
upon which he lived, and engaged in farming 
until 1879. In 1X72 he again engaged in 
contracting and built four miles of the Ma- 
son City & Fort Dodge Railroad, from Yin- 
cent to Boone river. 

In the meantime Mr. Powers had become 
much interested in the undertakings of the 
Greenback party, and in 1878 was elected 
clerk of Webster county and removed to 
Fort Dodge, which continued to be his home 
during the two years of his office. At the 
expiration of his term, he again settled on 
his farm, which was his home until 1899, 
during which year he removed to Duncombe 
and purchased a block and erected his fine, 
o unmodious residence. 

At Border Plains, Iowa, in 1808, Mr. 
Powers married Mrs. Elizabeth Ryan, the 
mother of the following children by her 
former marriage: Michael, who is a miner 
in Idaho; James R., who is living in Denver, 
Colorado; John R.. who is very success-ful as 
a miner in British Columbia, and is the own- 
er of several valuable claims; Hugh R.. who 
is working with his brother James in Den- 
ver, Colorado; Frank R., who is running a 
hotel at Wallace, Idaho: Jerry R., who lives 
on a farm near Border Plains : Mary R.. who 
is deceased; Kate R., who is the widow of 
Robert Hannon, of Border Plains ; ami Brid- 
get, who is the wife of John Maloney, of 
Denver, Colorado. No children have been 
b rn of the second union of Mr. Powers. He 
had three brothers : Edward P., who died 
in New York, at the age of fifty-four, leav- 
ing a wife and nine children; Patrick P.. 
who is a resident of California; and Dennis 



P., who died in Ireland at the age of nine- 
teen. 

In political affiliation Mr. Powers is a 
Republican,' having been allied with that 
party for the past ten years. Of late he has 
neither sought or desired official recognition, 
but has preferred rather to lead a life remote 
from the strife of political competition. He 
is the owner of a farm of one hundred and 
twenty acres of fine land. He is a member 
of the Roman Catholic church of Duncombe. 



(II \KI.KS COLBY 



For twenty-eight years Charles Colby 
has been an active factor in commercial 
circles in Fort Dodge, and is an enterprising 
and progressive citizen, belonging to that 
class of wide-awake, progressive men whose 
efforts have led to the substantial develop- 
ment and growth of this part of the coun- 
try. He was born in Burke, Caledonia 
county, Vermont, on the 12th of January, 
1847, aiK ' when a small boy accompanied his 
parents on their removal to Wisconsin, 
where he remained for a number of years, 
pursuing his education in the public schools. 
He continued with his father until the lat- 
ter's return to Massachusetts, and in 1S73 
he came to Fort Dodge, where he has since 
made his home. Here he entered into part- 
nership in the livery business in which he 
has since been engaged, and the enterprise 
has met with gratifying success through- 
out the vears of its existence, owing to^ the 
capable management, keen discrimination, 
unfaltering energy and straightforward 
business methods of the proprietors. 

On the 12th of March. 1868, Mr. Colby 
was united in marriage in Massachusetts 
to Eliza A. Howes, an estimable ladv who 




CHARLES COLBY 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



295 



resided in Havvley, Massachusetts. Her 
people resided within fourteen miles of the 
Hoosic tunnel, and Charles Colby sawed 
and sold lumber which was used in the con- 
struction of that tunnel. Six children have 
been born unto Air. and Airs. Colby: 
Charles II., who is clerk of the court of 
Fi nt Dodge ; George Henry, who is a sales- 
man in a hardware store in this city; Jen- 
nie, the wife of John L. Chalmers, a tea 
merchant of Newton, Iowa: Ida B., Minnie 
and Irene, at home. 

Air. Colby exercises his right of fran- 
chise in support of the men and measures 
of the Republican party and believes firmly 
in its principles. He was a member of the 
city council when the water works and gas 
plants were built and favored every pro- 
gressive measure which he believed would 
prove of practical benefit to the city. His 
hie has been characterized by enterprise 
and advancement and has been well spent. 
In- genuine worth commending him to the 
confidence and regard of his fellow towns- 
men among whom he has walked as an 
upright and valued citizen for more than 
a quarter of a century. 



HENRY SHEERER. 

Although long since passed beyond the 
pale of human labor and possibility, Henry 
Sheerer is remembered as a man who made 
the most of his gifts and opportunities, and 
who, in passing by, made many friends, 
whom he knew how to retain. In his' veins 
flowed the Teutonic blood of his conserva- 
tive and industrious forefathers, and in 
Baden, Germany, for centuries the field of 
their activity, he was born March 2. 1834. 
His parents, August and Rosina (Fels) 



'Sheerer, were also born in Baden, where 
they were reared, educated, married, and 
eventually died, the mother in 1859, a,1(1 tllL * 
father in 1861. The father was a man of 
some means, and for many years ci inducted 
a large bakery. To himself and wife were 
horn five children, namely: Caroline, who 
became the wife of Conrad Miller, and died 
in 1863, leaving one daughter; Henrv: 
Sophia, who was unmarried and died at the 
age of fifty-eight years; Stephania. who died 
at the age of forty-five: and August, who 
was a mate of the whaler "Louisiana." and 
while sailing from New Bedford. Massachu 
setts, in 1862, left the ship in a boat in pur- 
suit of whales, and was lost at sea. 

The education of Mr. Sheerer was ac- 
quired in the public schools and at the acad- 
emy at Carlsruhe, Baden, and when fifteen 
years of age he began to learn the trade of 
gardening, at which he became an expert. 
As became an ambitious and aspiring man 
he looked around for a profitable Ii cation in 
which to spend his life, and in 1851 em- 
barked in a sailing vessel from Havre, and 
upon locating in Newark, New Jersev, 
worked as a gardener and florist. February 
24. 1859. ait Newark, he married Emily 
Raab, a native also of Carlsruhe. Baden, 
born February 4, 1837. The parents of Mrs. 
Sheerer were Francis and Minnie (Lankin) 
Raab, who were married in Carlsruhe. where 
the mother died in 185 1. The father mi >ved 
with his family to America in 1853, crossing 
the seas on the good ship "Zurich." and af- 
ter six weeks out from Havre landed in New 
York harbor. They went to Newark. New- 
Jersey, where the father applied his trade 
of tailoring, although he afterwards re- 
moved to La Salle county, Illinois, about 
1872, where his death occurred in 1889. He 
was a Republican in politics, and was a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. To 



296 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



himself and wife were born the following 
children: Emily, the widow of Mr. Sheer- 
er; Amalia, the widow of Fred Kappler, re- 
siding in Newark, New Jersey; Francis, who 
married Mollie Combs and resides in Ohio 
Falls, Indiana; Christin, now deceased, who 
lived in Newark, and left one daughter; 
Edward, also deceased, who lived in New- 
ark, and left one daughter; and William, de- 
ceased, who also left one daughter. Eight 
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Sheerer: Henry, born December 5, 1859, 
married Lizzie Smith, and is living on a 
farm in Grand Ridge, La Salle county, Illi- 
nois, with his three children, Cora, Jessie 
and Nettie. Herman, born September 3, 
1861, married Emma Smith, lives on a farm 
in Elkhorn township, Webster county, Iowa, 
and has seven children, Hattie, Mable, An- 
na, Lloyd, Emma, Chester and a babe. Ed- 
ward, born April 12, 1864, married Matilda 
Smith, and lives on a farm in Elkhorn town- 
ship. Frank, born May 20, 1866, married 
Caroline Lehr, is a farmer in Elkhorn town- 
ship and has two children, Nellie and Ger- 
trude. George, horn May 20, 1868, married 
Orie Carter, lives in Keithsburg, Illinois, 
and has two children, Delia and Edna. 
Louise, born September 23, 1870, married 
Oscar Gruber, who was born in La Salle 
county, Illinois, February 18, 1868, and who 
is a farmer in Elkhorn township. They 
are the parents of three children : Lewis, 
born March 8, 1893; Emily, born July 31, 
1895; and Frank, born September 2, 1899. 
Emily Sheerer, born March 3, 1873. married 
John Redman. Paul Sheerer, born January 
28, 1875, married Maud Poundstone, and 
lives in Elkhorn township. 

After his marriage, Mr. Sheerer went to 
Bristol county, Massachusetts, and worked 
at his trade for a couple of years, and then 
went to Westchester county, New York, 



where he lived until 1864. A later place 
of residence was La Salle county, Illinois, 
where he rented land, and where his useful 
and meritorious life terminated April 16, 
1876. He is buried at Grand Ridge, La Salle 
county, Illinois. He was a Republican in 
politics, and fraternally was associated with 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
With his family he was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, and contributed 
generously towards its charities and support. 
After the death of her husband, Mrs. Sheer- 
er, no less ambitious as an agriculturist, 
bought one hundred and sixty acres of land 
which, with the assistance of her sons, she 
farmed until 1898. She then removed to 
Iowa, as did most of her children, and in 
Elkhorn township bought three hundred and 
twenty acres of land, which she has since 
rented out. Her sons also bought land, have 
married and settled down to he substantial 
and successful men. 



_ JOHN ROLL, Sr. 

John Koll, Sr., a well-known resident of 
Fort Dodge, is the possessor of a handsome 
property which now enables him to spend his 
declining years in the pleasurable enjoyment 
of his accumulations. The record of his life, 
previous to 1890, is that of an active, enter- 
prising, methodical and sagacious business 
man, who bent his energies to the acquire- 
ment of a comfortable competence for him- 
self and family. 

A native of German}'. Mr. Koll was born 
in Bavaria June 24, 1822, and is a son of 
Jacob Koll, whose life was devoted to agri- 
cultural pursuits. He had three brothers 
and four sisters, but is the only one of the 
family to crime to America. In his native 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



297 



land lie was reared and educated, and at the 
age of sixteen years commenced learning the 
brewery business, at which he worked until 
his emigration to the United States in 1849. 
Landing in New York, he proceeded at once 
to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he soon 
found employment in a brewery, and fol- 
lowed his trade for seven years. In 1856 
he removed to Lyons, Iowa, and started a 
brewery of his own. which he conducted 
three years, and on selling out went to Ana- 
mosa, where he built a brewerv and operated 
it four years or until it ceased to be profitable 
when the Civil war broke out. During the 
following three years lie worked in a brew- 
ery in Dyersville, and then built one for him- 
self, but after operating it with a partner 
for a short time he sold out and came to 
Fort Dodge in the spring of 1865. Here he 
built a house, but the following fall removed 
to Boonesboro, where he spent two years and 
a half. On his return to Fort Dodge in the 
spring of 1868 he commenced the erection 
of a brewery, hauling the lumber from Iowa 
Falls and Boone, a distance of fifty miles, 
and after its completion he engaged in op- 
erating it for two years after the prohibitory 
law was passed in 1883. Destroying all the 
beer in 1885, he embarked in the wholesale 
beer business, which he carried mi until 
1889. when he purchased a farm and en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits for a year. 
He then rented the place, and has since lived 
a retired life in Fort Dodge, enjoying the 
fruits of former labor. He has succeeded 
in accumulating some good property, and 
besides hir own residence he now owns five 
houses and five pieces of business property, 
from which he derives a good inci >me. 

On the 9th of May. 1853, Mr - Kail 
wedded Miss Mary Schnek, of Milwaukee. 
a daughter of John and Annie Schnek, and 
they have become the parents of ten chil- 



dren, as follows: Katrina, born in Mil- 
waukee, March 1, 1854, was killed in the 
Pomeroy cyclone July 12. [893; John. Jr., 
born in Milwaukee December 14, 1856. and 
Henry, born in Lyons, Iowa, October 21, 
1858, are both in the wholesale beer business 
in Fort Dodge; William, born in Anamosa 
November 2y. i860, is an engineer on the 
Burlington & Missouri River Railroad in 
Nebraska ; Mary, born in Anamosa Septem- 
ber 10, 1862, married John Francis, an en- 
gineer on the Minneapolis & St. Louis Rail- 
road, residing in Fort Dodge; Lizzie, born 
in Dyersville May 10, 1864, died October 
18, 1889; Joseph, born in Fort Dodge Sep- 
tember 28, [866, and Albert, born Septem- 
ber 29, 1868, are both engaged in the saloon 
business in this city; Michael, born October 
2^,, 1870, is in the restaurant business in 
Fort Dodge; and Frank, born December 16, 
1872, is a carpenter of this city. 



OLE WILLIAMSON. 

Among the representative and prominent 
citizens of Badger township, Webster coun- 
ty, Iowa, is numbered Ole Williamson, 
whose home is on section 21. lie dates his 
residence in this county from the 31st of 
July, 1869, and with its development and 
upbuilding he has since been actively identi- 
fied. A native of Norway, he was born near 
Stavanger July 1, 1840, and was there 
reared to manhood upon a farm. In 1862 
he emigrated to the United States and first 
set foot on American soil at Quebec, Can- 
ada, whence he proceeded at once to La 
Salle county, Illinois, where lie worked on 
a farm by the month for one year. 

In the fall of [863 Mr. Williamson was 
united in marriage with Miss Christina 
Sagaard, who was also a native of Norway 



298 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and came to this country on the same vessel 
of which her husband was a passenger. At 
that time they were unacquainted, however. 
After his marriage Mr. Williamson engaged 
in farming on rented land first in La Salle 
county, and later in Livingston county, Illi- 
nois, where he spent several years. On leav- 
ing there he came to Webster county, Iowa, 
in 1869, and located where he now resides 
and began the improvement of a tract of wild 
land. Subsequently he bought eighty acres 
of that place, erected thereon a small house, 
and has since engaged in the cultivation of 
that land. To the original purchase he has 
since added a forty-acre tract, making a good 
farm of one hundred and twenty acres, 1 in 
which he has erected a handsome residence, 
convenient barns and outbuildings. Besides 
this property he has another farm of one 
hundred and twenty acres on the northern 
boundary line of the county, a part of which 
is in 1 tumboldt count)-. 

Air. and Mrs. Williamson have seven 
children living, namely : ( 1 ) Isabella is now 
the widow of Professor Cornelius R. Hill, a 
man of superior education and a well-known 
educator of Minnesota and Iowa, having 
taught in some of the leading colleges of 
those states. For eight years he was at the 
seminary at Red Wing, Minnesota, and at 
the time of his death, which occurred March 
4. 1896, he was president of Jewell Lu- 
theran College at Jewell Junction, Iowa. 
Mrs. 1 lill is nenv a teacher at that place. She 
has two children, Ruth and Carl. ( 2 ) Will- 
iam is a minister of the United Lutheran 
church at Portland. Maine. For several 
years he followed the teacher's profession, 
having been connected with Tobin College 
of Fort Dodge and Jewell Lutheran Col- 
lege. (3) Peter was also 1 for several years 
one of the successful teachers of Iowa, but 
is now a minister of the Presbvterian 



church. (4) Syvert is a wide-awake young 
man of great promise. (5) Susie is married 
and resides at Jewell Junction, Iowa. (6) 
Anna is one of the prominent teachers of 
Webster county, and has for her motto, as 
had Longfellow's youth, — "Excelsior !" ( 7) 
Ina, the youngest of the family, has marked 
talent for music — as have all to a greater 
or less degree — and expects to educate her- 
self in this art and adopt it as her profession. 

Their home, filled as it is with marks of 
culture on every hand, such as music, hooks 
and flowers, is an interesting one. The ef- 
forts of Mrs. Williamson deserve especial 
mention. She has not only reared a large 
family, which alone to the modern woman 
appears a Herculean task, but as a pioneer 
wife she has ever been ready with strong 
and willing hands to see that chores were 
done, grain in stack and hay in the mow. 
The fortitude and heroism of a pioneer's 
wife in the midst 1 'f hardships and privations 
cannot be too fully realized and appreciated. 

In his political views Air. Williamson is 
a stanch Republican, having supported every 
presidential nominee of that party since cast- 
ing his first vote for General Grant in 1868. 
He has never sought official preferment, but 
gives his entire time and attention to his 
farming interests. He has met with well de- 
served success in all his undertakings, and 
is to-day one of the well-to-do and substan- 
tial farmers of hi-, community. 



DANIEL DANIELS. 

One of the most venerable and honored 
of the promoters of prosperity in Webster 
county is Daniel Daniels, who, though re- 
tired from active life, and already emerged 
from the f< mr so n'e and one mile post of 




DANIEL DANIELS 




MRS. DANIEL DANIELS 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



301 



life, is yet hale and hearty, and able to ap- 
preciate the devotion of his children and 
the constancy of friends. A native of 
Meadville, Pennsylvania, he was born De- 
cember 15, 1820, a son of Abram anil 
Christine (Thurston) Daniels, the former 
of whom was born in New York and died 
in Pennsylvania in J 847, while his wife died 
about 1877. 

The Daniels family sought the larger 
possibilities of America long before the 
Revolutionary war, in which struggle for 
independence our subject's grandfather 
Thurston served with courage for seven 
years, while his father-in-law was a soldier 
in the war of 1812. Abram Daniels was a 
very early settler of Pennsylvania, and his 
son, Daniel, used to walk a long distance In 
the little log school bouse with paper win- 
dows and slab seats. He was reared to an 
appreciation of the dignity of farming as 
an occupation, and continued to assist his 
father until grown to manhood.- He then 
for a time worked out on different farms, 
and eventually bought a farm in Bureau 
county, Illinois. March 23, 1849. ne mar- 
ried Mary Ann Bennett, who- was born in 
Ohio, June 2, 1828. her father being a na- 
tive of England and her mother of German 
descent. She had one half sister and two 
half brothers, all of whom are now de- 
ceased. After his marriage .Mr. Daniels 
continued to live on his Illinois farm until 
1854, when, after disposing of his interests, 
he came to Iowa and located on section 10, 
Webster township, Webster county, where 
he purchased a half section of laud, and 
later other property, which has since been 
divided among his children, so that now' 
be owns no land whatever. The children 
who have thus profited by the enterprise 
and generosity of their father are as fol- 
lows: William Henrv, Lucy Ann. Charley, 



Bennett, Alfred, Angeline, Flora, and Em- 
ma. 'Jdie children have all benefited by the 
substantial training of their youth, and all 
are industrious and prosperous members of 
their respective communities. Airs. Daniels 
died June 20. 1807, and is buried at Web- 
ster City, in which town they had lived for 
about a year after retiring from farming. 
At the present time Mr. Daniels makes his 
home witli Erwin Taylor, his son-in-law. 
In his political affiliations Mr. Daniels 
was first identified with the Whig and later 
with the Republican parties, but he has 
never devoted much time to politics. In 
the very early days he served five years as 
supervisor, but of late years has not held 
office. He is one of the interesting per- 
sonalities of the county, and is full of anec- 
dotes regarding the times when the red man 
was a very formidable antagonist to the 
pale- face and considered himself the right- 
ful possessor of the land and all it con- 
tained. He lived in Iowa at the time of 
the Indian massacres at Spirit Lake and 
New I dm, anil knew personally many who 
participated in that fearful struggle for 
supremacy. 



W. R. McGUIRE. 



Among Webster county's officials there 
is probably none better known than W. R. 
McGuire. the present deputy sheriff. A na- 
tive of Missouri, he was horn in Clay coun- 
ty, March 3. [858, his parents being Noah 
and Sarah J. ( Wallace) McGuire. His pa- 
ternal grandfather John McGuire, was a 
native of Tennessee, and was cue of three 
brothers who removed to Missouri at an 
early day, being among die pioneers who set- 
tled in that state at the beginning of the 
nineteenth century. Our subject's maternal 



3°2 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



grandfather was David Oliver Wallace, 
whose nickname was "Bruin." He was a 
brigadier general in the Civil war and died 
in 1899. The father of our subject also 
participated in that struggle, being a mem- 
ber of Company B, Forty-fourth Missouri 
Volunteer Infantry. During his active busi- 
ness life lie followed farming, but is now liv- 
ing retired in Cameron, Missouri. 

\Y. R. McGuire is the oldest in a family 
of eleven children, ten of whom are living, 
namely: W. R. ; Rebecca, wife of Richard 
Ellis, of Missouri; Simon F., a Methodist 
Episcopal minister of that state; Martha, 
wife of George Nettles, of Dayton, Iowa; 
John, foreman of the Chicago Bridge & 
Iron Company, of Chicago; Sadie, a resi- 
dent of Fort Dodge; David and Frank, who 
are in the employ of the Chicago Bridge & 
Iron Company and reside in Chicago; Han- 
nah, wife of Oscar Harmon, of Missouri; 
and Ida, at home with her parents. Edith 
is deceased. 

The subject of this sketch spent his boy- 
hood in his native state. Those were stir- 
ring days when Missouri was the seat of 
conflict between the north and south, and he 
remembers to have seen Ouantrel's raider 
pass the door of his father's home. The 
James boys often visited the locality, and 
Mr. McGuire attended school with the no- 
torious Ford boys, one of whom later killed 
Jesse James. 

On starting out in life for himself Mr. 
McGuire took up the occupation to which 
he had been reared and followed farming in 
Missouri until August. 1S77, when he came 
to Webster county, Iowa, and continued to 
engage in that pursuit in Yell township un- 
til appointed deputy sheriff in 1898. Since 
then he lias devoted his entire time ami at- 
tention to the duties of that office, and has 



proved a most capable and trustworthy of- 
ficial. 

In 1881 Mr. McGuire was united in mar- 
riage witli Miss Laura Kmeriem, of Yell 
township, an adopted daughter of Franklin 
McGuire. By this union have been born two 
children, Lester and Carrie. Fraternally 
Mr. McGuire affiliates with the Modern 
Woodmen of America, and politically has 
been identified witli the Republican party 
since attaining his majority. He lias taken 
quite an active and prominent part in local 
politics, and has been called upofi to fill sev- 
eral township offices, including those of 
school trustee, president of the school board 
and justice of the peace. 



WILLIAM H. GRABENHORST. 

William H. Grabenhorst, who, with his 
father and brother owns and operates a half 
section of land on section 12, Dayton town- 
ship, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, De- 
cember 14, 1859, an d i s a son OI H. C. and 
Margaret Ann (Layer) Grabenhorst, the 
former of whom was born in the province 
of Brunswick, Germany, and emigrated to 
the United States in 1847. The lather lived 
for many years in the vicinity of Baltimore, 
Maryland, where he engaged principally in 
the dairy business. He owned about one 
hundred and ninety cows, and did an annual 
business of nearly forty thousand dollars. 
His life has been one of immense industry 
and well applied enterprise, and he is one 
of the foremost developers of Webster coun- 
ty, where he first bought land in 1859. 

As a boy William H. Grabenhorst prof- 
ited by the training to be found in the public 
schools of Baltimore, and he also studied 
for three years at the Pennsylvania College, 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



303 



at Gettysburg. Pennsylvania. His initiation 
into tiie held of independent support was as 
a member of the United States coast sur- 
vey at Washington, with which he was con- 
nected up to the time of his marriage, Sep- 
tember 22. 1881, with Eva Haight, who was 
born in Dutchess county, Xew York, and is 
of American parentage. Mrs. Grabenhorst 
has one brother, Harry, who is a resident of 
Seattle, Washington, and one sister, Mrs. 
Harry Miller of Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. 
Grabenhorst with his wife came to their 
present home near Dayton, Iowa, in March, 
1883. To them have been born eight chil- 
dren : Anna, in 1883; Lillie, in 1885; 
I ... rge, in 1NS7; Will, in 1889; Charley, in 
1891; Eugene, in 1893; 'Nellie, in 1896; 
and Evelyn, in 1901. Mr. Grabenhorst is 
one of the intelligently progressive men of 
his township, and enjoys the esteem of all 
who are privileged to know him. 



WILLIAM X. MESERVEY. 

An important chapter in the history of 
Webster county is that formed by the life 
record of William X. Meservey. He was 
one of the public spirited citizens to whose 
energy and foresight this locality is in- 
debted for many improvements. His work 
was of such a character as to promote the 
general welfare and along lines of progress 
his efforts were efficient and beneficial. As 
a journalist, he made known to the world 
the possibilities and natural resources of this 
section of the country; through the columns 
of his paper he championed reform and ad- 
vancement, and in judicial offices he stood 
as a just interpreter of the law which par- 
takes the life and liberty and the rights of 
the people. Over his public and private ca- 
reer there falls no shadow , -,f wrong or sus- 



picion of evil. Fearless in conduct, honor- 
able in action, stainless in reputation, his 
wi rk did much toward influencing for good, 
the welfare of Webster county, and his ex- 
ample is indeed worthy of emulation. 

Mr. Meservey was born in Dearborn 
county, Indiana, November 6, 1820, and in 
his early youth he was for a few years a 
student in a graded school of Cincinnati, 
Ohio. Upon putting aside his text-books he 
secured employment in a wholesale dry- 
house in that city, where he remained 
until twenty years of age, but thinking to 
devote his life to professional work he then 
entered the law office of Amos Lane, of 
Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and in 1843 ' ie was 
admitted to the bar at Cincinnati. The same 
year he removed to Xew Orleans, Louisiana, 
where he engaged in practice until [845, 
when he returned to the north, locating in 
Clinton, Illinois, which was his place of resi- 
dence until 1854. 

That year witnessed the arrival of Mr. 
Meservey in Webster county. He located 
in Homer, which was then' the count}- seat 
of Hamilton and Webster counties, which 
were then one organization, the division 
having not yet occurred. When this county 
was formed and Fort Dodge was made the 
county seat, he took up his abode in the lat- 
ter place and was an active, public-spirited 
and prominent resident of the place until 
his death. In 1S62 he was appointed to a 
position in the United States treasury de- 
partment with headquarters at Monroe, 
Louisiana, and there remained four years, 
returning to Fort Dodge after the close of 
the war. Subsequently he assumed control 
of the Fort Dodge Messenger and con- 
ducted that paper until June 4. 1S74. when 
he sold his interest. In February, 1877. he 
became the editor-in-chief of the Webster 
County Gazette, and that continued to be 



304 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



his business connection until his life's labors 
were ended. He was a fluent orator, an in- 
structive writer and his editorials treated in 
broad and impartial manner the questions 
claiming public attention. He made of his 
paper one of the strongest and most widely 
circulated journals in western Iowa, and 
through its columns he promoted every in- 
terest which he believed would prove of 
value and benefit to his adopted citv. He 
was a man true to his honest convictions, 
and neither fear nor favor could swerve him 
from a course which he believed to be right. 

Mr. Meservey was twice elected judge 
of Webster county, and upon the bench he 
"won golden opinions from all sorts of peo- 
ple." His knowledge of the law was ap- 
plied with equity of the points in litigation, 
and his decisions were always fair and im- 
partial. This was the only civil office he ever 
held, preferring the independence of a pri- 
vate citizen to the cares of official life. Vet 
he was ever willing to second the efforts of 
his friends who aspired to political honors. 
In his early years he endorsed the prin- 
ciples of Democratcy and lent his support 
toward achieving success for the party, but 
when the Civil war was inaugurated and the 
south sought to destroy the Union, setting at 
naught the power of the constitution, he be- 
came identified with the Republican party, 
and was ever afterward unswerving in his- 
allegiance to its principles. 

In Marion, De Witt county, Illinois, on 
the 27th of December, 1847, the Judge was 
united in marriage to Miss Amanda C. Rob- 
bins, a native of Campbell county. Kentucky, 
who removed to Illinois with her parents 
during her childhood. Her father. Judge 
Daniel Robbins, was a prominent citizen of 
the Prairie state. He was a native, how- 
ever, of Baltimore. Maryland, and was of 
English lineage. At the time of his death 



the Judge left a widow and four children 
to mourn his loss, the members of the 
househeld in addition to Mrs. Meservey 
being: Stillman T., who is now serving 
from his district as representative in the 
state legislature: A. F. ; AliceM.. the widow 
of Oliver M. Welch; and William D. In 
his social relations the Judge was a Mason 
and was also identified with the Odd Fel- 
lows fraternity, exemplifying in his life the 
beneficent and helpful spirit of both orders. 
His death occurred September 21. 1N7N, 
and the community thereby lost one of its 
most valued citizens, — a man who had ever 
been found as a friend of movements that 
contributed in large measure to the general 
good. He commanded respect for his fear- 
less advance of what he believed to be right, 
by his straightforward methods in business. 
by his loyalty in citizenship and his faith- 
fulness to his friend-. 



CYRUS BURXETT. 

Since 1857 Cyrus Burnett has made his 
home in Webster county, and his name is 
inseparably connected with its agricultural 
interests. His thoroughly American spirit 
and his great energy have enabled him to 
attain a position of influence, and he is to- 
day the owner of eight hundred and forty 
acres of valuable farm land in Iowa and 
residence property in Dayton. 

Air. Burnett was bnrn in Ohio, on the 
Oth of February. 1826. His father, John 
I'.. Burnett, was a native of Xew Jersey and 
of German descent, while his mother, who 
bore the maiden name of Hattie Burgen, 
was born in Pennsylvania of Irish parent- 
age. They were married in the latter state 
and from there removed to Ohio in 1812, 
cuttino- their wav through the wilderness 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3°5 



for out' hundred miles to Wayne county, 
where they bought one hundred and sixty 
acres of land. On selling that farm in 1857 
they removed to Cedar county, Iowa, and 
there purchased another farm, where the 
father died six years later. The mother 
then made her home for a time with her 
children in Iowa City, and died at that place 
in 1865. Of their fourteen children, twelve 
reached man and womanhood and mar- 
ried, namely: Thomas married Cindrella 
Nixson and lived for some time in Wayne 
county, Ohio, but both died in Cedar coun- 
ty, Iowa. Daniel married Katie Hines and 
also lived in Wayne count}. Ohio, and 
Cedar count}', Iowa, but died in Iowa City. 
William married Bettie Hines and died 
about 1854 in Cedar count} - , where his wife 
and several children still reside. Louisa 
married David Fairfield and removed from 
Wooster, Ohio, to Williams county, that 
state, where he died on Christmas and she on 
the following New Years Day in the latter 
part of the '60s. Wilson married a Miss 
Alexander and both died in Williams coun- 
ty, Ohio. Mary was the wife of George Eck- 
ert, of Wayne county, Ohio, and both are 
now deceased. Sarah married John Large, 
of Wayne count}'. Ohio, and both died in 
Indiana. John, deceased, first married Ann 
Van Est. of Millersburg, Ohio, and came to 
Cedar county, Iowa, where she died, and 
he subsequently married again. Nancy 
married Robert Smith and died in Cedar 
county. Isaac married Eliza Lorah and 
later Eliza Nixson, and died in Cedar 
county. Margaret wedded Stow Smith, of 
Wayne count}-. Ohio, and they now reside 
in Cedar count}-, Iowa. Cyrus completes 
the family. 

Our subject began his education in a 
primitive log school house with slab 
benches, where school was conducted on 



the subscription plan. Me also attended the 
public schools of Wayne county, Ohio, for 
a time, and continued his studies there until 
fifteen years of age. He remained at home 
until his marriage, which was celebrated in 
Wooster, Ohio, March 16, 1850, Miss Mar- 
garet Ann Richey becoming his wife. She 
Was born in Wayne county, January 4, 
1832, a daughter of Gasper T. and Martha 
(Richart) Richey. The father was born in 
Westmoreland count}-, Pennsylvania, and 
was of Irish descent on the paternal side 
and of German extraction on the maternal 
side. Her mother was also a native of that 
state ami was of Scotch lineage. Mrs. Bur- 
nett's paternal grandparents were married 
in Easton, Pennsylvania, and made their 
home in Lycoming county, that state, un- 
til 183 1, when they removed to Ohio, 
where the grandmother died in 1840. She 
bore the maiden name of Margaret Lock- 
ard, and was a lady of culture and refine- 
ment. The grandfather was a soldier of 
the Revolutionary war under General 
Washington, and other ancestors took part 
in the early Indian wars and the war of 
1812. The parents of Mrs. Burnett were 
married in Wooster, Ohio, and in 1854 
came to Webster county, Iowa, where the 
father died in 1882, and the mother in 1892. 
They had a family of eleven children, of 

whom four died in infanc_\ or childh 1. 

Of the seven remaining Mrs. Burnett is the 
oldest; Mary Jane is the wife of J. R. Line, 
of Fort 1 lodge; Priscilla married Levi Em- 
erson and died in Stratford. Iowa; Hen- 
rietta is the wife of A. R. Daughenbaugh, 
of Des Moines; Casper T. married Hattie 
Lyon and died on a farm in Webster coun- 
ty; James F. married Eliza Baker and lives 
in Pilot Mound. Boone county: S. B. mar- 
ried Angeline Mahan and resides in Web- 
ster county. 



306 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. and Mrs. Burnett have four chil- 
dren, three sons and one daughter, namely : 
Edwin Curtis, the oldest, died and was 
buried on his thirty-second birthday, May 
9, 1883. Jennie successfully engaged in 
school teaching at Rocky Ford and La 
Junta, Colorado, for nine years, but has now 
retired and makes her home in Denver. 
Howard, who is a law graduate of Cedar 
Rapids, is now engaged in the oil, coal 
and fuel business at Chadron, Nebraska. 
He married Nettie David in the Black Hills, 
South Dakota, and they have one child, 
Ruth. Williams Lester, who is engaged in 
the shoe business in Dayton, Iowa, wed- 
ded Mary F. Lane and they have two chil- 
dren, Cyrus Lester and Margaret Iris. 

In 1 85 7 Mr. Burnett and his family 
came to Webster county, Iowa, and set- 
tled on a farm five miles southeast of Day- 
ton, but have made their home in the vil- 
lage since 1884, when he retired from ac- 
tive labor to enjoy the fruits of former toil. 
He conquered all the obstacles in the path 
to success and secured for himself and fam- 
ily a handsome competence, being now the 
possessor of some valuable property. He is 
independent in politics, giving his support 
to the men and measures which he believes 
best qualified to advance the interests of his 
community and promote the general wel- 
fare. Wherever known he is held in high 
regard, and as an honored pioneer and 
highly respected citizen he is certainly de- 
serving of honorable mention in the history 
of his adopted county. 



CHRISTIAN SCHMOKER. 

One of the leading citizens and repre- 
sentative farmers of Cooper township is 
Christian Schmoker, who claims Switzer- 



land as his native land, his birth having oc- 
curred in that country, August 26, 1844. 
About 1857 he emigrated to the new world 
with his parents, Christian and Anna (Ber- 
net) Schmoker, also natives of Switzerland. 
The 'family first located in Wisconsin, 
where they made their home until 1868, 
and then came to Webster county, Iowa, 
settling in Cooper township, where the fa- 
ther purchased one hundred and sixty acres 
of wild land, which he transformed into a 
good farm. He followed general farming 
throughout life, and was a sturdy, hard- 
working man. Here he died at the age of 
seventy-eight years, his wife at the age of 
seventy-five. They were the parents of 
eleven children, all of whom are still living, 
namely : Peter, Christian, John, Jacob, 
Carl, Frederick, Gotlieb, Rudolph, Anna, 
Elizabeth and Rosa. The father was a 
member of the German Reformed church, 
and was a Republican in politics. He 
might well be termed a pioneer of Cooper 
township, for on locating here he took up 
new land and materially assisted in the de- 
velopment of his section of the county. 
He reared his family to habits of thrift and 
industry, and many of them are to-day 
among the substantial citizens of Webster 
county. 

Mr. Schmoker, whose name introduces 
this sketch, grew to manhood in Wisconsin, 
and attended school there. In 1868 he came 
with the family to this county, and has since 
engaged in general farming, at present own- 
ing a well-improved and valuable place of 
one hundred and sixty acres in Cooper 
township. 

Mr. Schmoker has been twice married, 
his first wife being Miss Elizabeth Hass. 
a native of Germany, who died in 1881, 
leaving six children, namely: Willie, now 
deceased ; Ferdinand ; Martin : Louisa ; 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



307 



Anna, now deceased; and Rosa. His sec- 
ond wife bore the maiden name of Cath- 
arine Scharf and was born in Illinois. By 
this union five children were born, namely: 
Albert; Phoebe; Cora, who died at the age 
of eighteen months: Hugo, who died at the 
age of five years ; and Winnie. 

In his religious views Mr. Schmoker 
is a Lutheran. By his ballot he supports 
the men and measures of the Republican 
party, and his fellow citizens, recognizing 
his worth and ability, have called upon him 
to till local offices of honor and trust, and 
he has most capably served as school treas- 
urer in Cooper township for the past fifteen 
wars, being the present incumbent. He is 
a self-made man, for his success in life is 
due entirely to his own well-directed and 
energetic efforts. 



DEXTER A. WELLER. 

For more than forty-two years this gen- 
tleman has made his home in Fort Dodge, 
Iowa, and his name is inseparably con- 
nected with public affairs, for during the 
greater part of this time he has held some 
public position, and is now acceptably filling 
the office of city clerk. Mr. Weller was 
horn in Arlington, Bennington county, 
Vermont, November 15, 1830, and is a son 
of Daniel and Rhoda (Snow) Weller, in 
whose family were five children, four sons 
and one daughter. In 1834 they removed 
to Sandgate, Bennington county, and in the 
schools of that place our subject received 
his elementary education. In 1850 the fam- 
ily removed to East Salem, Washington 
county, Xew York, where the father en- 
gaged in the dye and clothing business. 

While residing at that place Dexter A. 
Weller taught school during the winter 
months, while through the summer seasons 



he worked up< m a farm until the fall of 
1855, when he came to Fort Dodge, Iowa, 
arriving here on the 30th of September. 
Here he engaged in teaching during the fol- 
lowing winter, and- then followed farming 
until November, 1S64, when he was ap- 
pointed deputy treasurer of Webster county, 
and served in that capacity until January 1, 
1866, when he resumed farming, but in 
[867 returned to the treasurer's office as 
deputy, and filled that position until the 1st 
of January, 1878. During the next four 
years he did office work, and in 1883 was 
appointed secretary of the school board, 
which position he still holds. He was 
again made deputy treasurer in 1882, and 
held that office until elected county treas- 
urer in 1886, after which he served in the 
latter capacity two years. He continued to 
work on the books in various offices, how- 
ever, until March, 1892, when he was ap- 
pointed city clerk, and has since filled that 
position in a most creditable and satisfac- 
tory manner. 

Mr. Weller was married September- 4, 
1861, to Miss Elizabeth F. Sargent, a resi- 
dent of Johnsonville, Rensselaer county, 
Xew York. She was born in England. and 
came with her husband to Fort Dodge in 
[862. Mr. and Mrs. Weller have two chil- 
dren : Mary L., born December 2, 1862, is 
at home with her parents : and Minnie E., 
born April 9, 1866, is the wife of C. H. 
I 1 Iby, clerk of the courts at Fort Dodge. 

Socially Mr. Weller is a member of the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He 
has made a most trustworthy and capable 
public officer, and has always been found 
true and faithful to every trust reposed in 
him, whether public or private, and he well 
deserves the high regard in which he is uni- 
formly held. 



3 o8 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



PHILLIP KARCHER. 

Among the brave defenders of the 
Union during the dark days of the Civil 
war was Phillip Karcher. a well-known citi- 
zen of Fort Dodge, his home being at 609 
Fourth avenue south. He was born in 
Philadelphia on the 26th nf March, 1832, 
Ms 1 parents being Phillip and Katherine 
(Erb) Karcher, in whose family were seven 
children, five sons and two daughters. The 
father was a native of Germany and a shoe- 
maker by trade. 

Our subject received his early education 
in the schools of his native city, and ac- 
quired a .thorough knowledge of the shoe- 
maker's trade, at which he worked in the 
east until 1859, when he removed to Earl- 
ville, Iowa. The following year he came 
to Fort Dodge, and continued to follow his 
chosen occupation until after the Civil war 
broke out. On the 22d of August, 1862, 
Mr. Karcher enlisted in Company I, Thirty- 
second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, under 
Captain Alexander Dowd and Colonel 
John Scott. His regiment being assigned 
to the Sixteenth Corps. Army of the Ten- 
nessee, he took part with that command in 
the hattles of Fort De Russey, Pleas- 
ant Hill and Yellow Bayou, Louisiana; 
Lake Chicot, Arkansas; Tuples. Missis- 
sippi; Old Tom Creek, Mississippi; Nash- 
ville, Tennessee; and Blakely, Alabama. 
At the close of the war he was mustered 
out and discharged from the service at Clin- 
ton, [owa, August 24, 1865. Returning to 
Fort Dodge, he has since engaged in shoe- 
making and has met with fair success. He 
is now an honored member of Fort Donel- 
son Post, G. A. R., No. 236, and is highly 
respected and esteemed by all who know 
him. 

Mr. Karcher was married, August 6, 



1853, tn Miss .Margaret Hefiey, of Phila- 
delphia, a daughter of John M. Hefiey, a 
farmer of Pennsylvania. Seven children 
blessed this union, namely: William H., 
born May 13, 1854, is now engaged in 
mining in Colorado; Phillip, Jr., born De- 
cember S. [856, is a blacksmith of Des 
Moines; Mary I'"... horn September 8, i860, 
is the wife of William Grace, a farmer 
of Palo Alto count}-, Iowa; Catherine, born 
August 28, 1862, is at home; John Morris, 
born July 9, 1866, is a railroad contractor 
in Illinois; George S., born March 18, 1869, 
is in the employ of the Illinois Central Rail- 
road and resides at home ; and James, born 
April 14, 1877, is a fireman on the same 
road. 



ANGUS McBANE. 

Angus McBane was one of the honored 
pioneers of Webster county, and for many 
years no man was more actively or hon- 
orably associated with financial interests in 
this part of the state than he. As a real 
estate dealer he became an important fac- 
tor in the development and settlement of 
the count}', and in all possible ways he con- 
tributed to the upbuilding and substantial 
improvement of the city and the surround- 
ing district, so that his name is inseparably 
interwoven with its annals. His career 
was one of enterprising business activity, 
cf loyal citizenship and of fidelity to all the 
relations and duties of private life, and his 
example is one well worth}- of emulation. 

Mr. McBane was born in Columbiana 
count}-, Ohio, March 2j, 1829, a son of 
John and Marjory McBane, who were na- 
tives of Inverness, Scotland, where they 
were reared and married. In 1817 they 
crossed the Atlantic to "the land of the free 




ANGUS McBANE 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3ii 



and the home of the brave," taking up their 
abode among the earl) settlers of Colum- 
biana county, where the father entered a 
of land from the government. With 
characteristic Scottish thrift and energy he 
began its development and transformed it 
inti an excellent farm up n which he and 
his wife spent their remaining days. They 
da family 1 E eighl children, of whom 
five were hum in Scotland, while three were 
added to the family circle after the emigra- 
ti< 11 to the new w< add. 

( >n the old family hi rn.este.ad in the 
Buckeye state Angus McBane, 1 £ this re- 
view, was born and reared, and in [844, 
when fifteen years of age, he started to 
learn the printer's trade in his brother's 
ce, bul he did not find this pursuit con- 
genial, and en the expiratii n of his service 
he sought 1 ther employment and accepted a 
positii 11 ui a drug -t^re at Wellsville, which 
positii n lie retained alu ut fi it years, when 
he went down the Ohii and Mississippi 
5 on a flatboat to \c\\ Orleans. At 
this time the excitement following the dis- 
er) of gi Id in California was at its 
1 night, and Mr. McBane, who was pos- 
sessed 1 1" a go d constitution and was full 
1 hi pe and energy, determined to try his 
fortune in the Golden state, hoping that 
amid tlie reported wealth of the Pacific 
eoasl he might secure enough of the pre- 
cious metal to render him a wealthy man 
or at least give him a good start in the 
business world. Accordingly he made 
preparations for the western journey. In 
tlie spring of 1850 he joined a party of 
American Argonauts in search of the gold- 
en fleece, hut instead of sailing amid en- 
chanted isles as their Greek predecessors 
had done, they journeyed by ox-teams 
across hundreds of miles of plains or 
through mountain passes, four month- be- 



ing required to make the trip, and on his 
arrival there he spent all but a very small 
sum of money. For two years after his 
arrival Mr. McBane worked in the mines. 
and then engaged in the milling business 
where Nevada City now stands, erecting a 
-;oam sawmill, which he operated until 
1854, wdien he returned to New York, by 
way of the Isthmus of Panama, and from 
the eastern metropolis made his way to 
Ohio. After a short time he made an. ther 
trip down the river to \e\\ Orleans, ami 
next engaged in the commission busi 
v nli his bn ther Alexander in Pittsburg, 
hut after a short time withdrew from the 
hrm, believing that the west would offer 
better business opportunities than the older 
and more thickly settled east. Aco rdingl) 
he made his way to Chicago. Minneapolis 
and then to he- Moines, Iowa, intending 
to engage in the real estate business there, 
hut finding that the best land had already 
been secured in these place-, h 
Fort Dodge, in June, 1855. and remained 
a resident of this city until his death. In 
Uigust of that year he built a banking 
house and at once engaged in the banking 
and real estate business as a member of the 
firm of Wilsons, McBane X Company. 1 le- 
va- subsequently prominently connected 
with various hanking institutions ami at 
one lime wa- president of the Merchants 
National Bank, and was also officiall) n- 
nected with the First National Banl 
its consolidation with the Merchants Na- 
tional, while later he was a member of the 
hanking firm of McBane & Grant. His 
thorough understanding of the business 
made his counsel of importance in financial 
circles, and the success of the institutions 
with which he was associated was due in 
no -mall measure to his efforts. As the 
years passed his prosperity increased, his 



312 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



labors making him one of the must affluent 
citizens of the count}-, but success did n< a 
come ti ' him all at once as there were years 
when the county was sparsely settled and 
there was not much business to be done. 

Mr. McBane was actively interested in 
the general progress and welfare, and c i- 
operated whenever possible in the move- 
ments which led to substantial impn ve- 
ment in this part of the state. He was liv- 
ing in Webster county when in 1857 the 
Indians massacred the people at Spirit 
Lake. He took an active part in assisting 
in the protection of the settlers at that 
point, being connected with the expedition 
that went to their relief. Through his real 
estate transactions he induced settlers to 
come to the county and was ever conscien- 
tious in aiding them to secure the kind of 
farms they desired, so that he always en- 
joyed and merited the business confidence 
of the people. 

In 1858 occurred the marriage of Mr. 
McBane and Miss Elizabeth McLaughlin, 
of Hamilton county. Iowa, a native of 
Columbiana county. Ohio, and a daughter 
of James McLaughlin, of Inverness, Scot- 
land, who with his family came to "Webster 
City. Iowa, in 1856, but the following fall 
he died, leaving a wife and three children. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. McBane were born four 
nd three daughters, namely: Will- 
iam Wilson, who died at Great Falls. Mon- 
tana, August 10. 1900: James Alexander, 
who died at Fort Dodge. November 6, 
1890; John Daniel, who died in October. 
1877: Angus, who is the only living -mi: 
Lizzie, who died on the afternoon of the 
day on which her father passed away; Mar- 
jory; and Blanche, who js the wife of J. C. 
Alvarado. 

For some time prior to his death Mr. 
McBane was in failing health, and on the 



12th of April, 1888, he departed this life. 
For a > third of a century he lived in Fort 
Dodge, and few men were more widely 
known in Webster county, his business in- 
terests bringing him into contact with a 
large number whose friendship and respect 
he won by an honorable life and a kindly 
manner. He richly merited his prosperity, 
for it was honorably gained and worthily 
used. His career proved the power of in- 
dustry, integrity and perseverance as fac- 
tors in the business world and should serve 
as an inspiration to others who must de- 
pend upon their own resources for advance- 
ment. 



TIMOTHY CRIMINS. 

Timothy Crimins, experienced railroad 
man, scientific farmer and all-around help- 
ful citizen of Elkhorn township, was born 
in Count}- Cork, Ireland, January 15, 1826. 
His parents, Dennis and Julia (McCallif) 
Crimins, were natives respectively of Coun- 
ties Kerry and Cork, Ireland, and were 
married in their native land, where they 
engaged in farming. In the family were 
the following children: John, who died in 
Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1899, was a soldier 
during the Civil war. and was wounded 
while serving in the Sixty-fifth Illinois In- 
fantry; Johanna died in June, 1871 : Den- 
nis died in Ireland : and Ellen also died in 
her native land. 

Before coming to America, in 1849. a * 
the age of twenty-four years. Mr. Crimins 
studied in the public schools of his native 
land, and gained considerable knowledge of 
farming and general business. He sailed on 
the good ship John Evans, which for five 
weeks plowed its way through stormy seas 
and delaying calms, and finally arrived in 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



313 



Boston Harbor. Mr. Crimins engaged in 
railroad work out of Boston, and for twenty 

year? was identified with the Harlem Rail- 
road. After spending some time in Con- 
necticut he was with the Maysville Railroad 
in Kentucky during one summer, and then 
went to work on the levee in Arkansas, 
eventually bringing up at St. Louis, where 
he worked with the Pacific Railroad for 
two years. He then returned to Xew York 
and worked on the canal, later crossing the 
lake from Buffalo to Ohio, and then trav- 
eled to Michigan, where he walked thirty- 
five miles to catch a train to Chicago. He 
then went to Dunleith. Illinois, and worked 
on the Illinois Central Railroad, and was 
employed one summer in Iowa, and for a 
year in Minnesota, afterward working for 
the Union Pacific Railroad Company out of 
Omaha. Nebraska. At a later period he 
came to Des Moines. Iowa, and was with 
nearly all the railroads through central 
Iowa, and finally abandoned the railroad 
business entirely and settled on the river 
claim on section 9, Elkhorn township. Web- 
ster county, which he afterward purchased. 
Tune 24. 1872. Mr. Crimins married 
Mary Trainer, a native of County Louth. 
Ireland, born December 25, 1897, and ,a 
daughter of Patrick and Ellen (White) 
Trainer, also natives of County Louth. The 
parents came to America, where the mother 
died, after which the father returned to Ire- 
land. There were in the family the follow- 
ing- children : Patrick, who married Anna 
Colwell and lives in Fort Dodge: John. 
who is a gold miner in Montana; Simon, 
win' lives in Elkhorn township. Webster 
county. Iowa: Robert, who is engaged in 
railroading in Fort Dodge; Margretta. who 
is the wife of Donald Farrell, of Fort 
Dodge; Susan, who is the wife of Owen 
Halligan. of the vicinity of Fort Dodsre: 



Anna, who was the wife of Anthony Halli- 
gan and died twenty years ago in Elkhorn 
a^et, who is the wife of \Y. 
M. Hachenburg, of Minnesota; and Lizzie, 
who is the wife of Jim B reman, of Minne- 
sota. Seven children have been born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Crimins. namely: Dennis, 
who married Jennie Mclntire; Joe. who died 
in infancy: Patrick, who died at the age of 
three years : Ellen, who is the widow of 
George McMahon ; Edward, who is living 
at home: and Julia, who is also living at 
home. 

At the time of taking possession of his 
one hundred and sixty acres of land Mr. 
Crimins had a great deal of laborious work 
ahead of him. for the property was raw 
prairie and had hitherto been unacquainted 
with plow or harrow. He broke the land 
himself, and has since made all manner of 
desirable improvements, including a com- 
fortable house, tine barn, good fences and 
outbuildings, as well as modern machinery 
of every known variety. He is a pn g 
ive farmer and valued citizen, and his ef- 

- have resulted in a benefit to the com- 
munitv. 



CHARLES PINGEL. 

This well-known and successful agri- 
culturist of Cooper township, was born in 
Meggesburg. on the 8th of April. 1844. and 
was a lad of eight years when he cr 
the broad Atlantic in company with his par- 
ents. Henry and Dora Pingel. who were 
also natives of the fatherland. The family 
located in Jo Daviess county. Illinois. 
where Henrv Pingel continued to make his 
home throughout the remainder of his life, 
his time and attention being devoted to 
agricultural pursuits. He did not live long, 



314 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



however, after coining to this country, and 
died at the age of sixty-one years. His 
wife still survives him and now makes her 
home with their only daughter, Mrs. Cath- 
arine Wenters, in Iowa. In their family 
were only two children, the other being our 
subject. 

Charles Pingel spent his boyhood and 
youth in Jo Daviess county, Illinois. His 
educational advantages were limited, as he 
began working for his board and clothes 
when a mere buy, and has since been de- 
pendent upon !iis own resources for a liveli- 
bi dd. The first wages he received were five 
dollars per month. While employed as a 
farm hand he managed to save some of his 
salary, and was at length .able to purchase a 
traci of forty acres in Jo Daviess count}-, 
Illinois. He has since 1" ught and s< Id sev- 
eral farms. In 1874 he came to Iowa, and 
after residing in various places he 
located in Webster county in 1880, and pur- 
chased a farm in Cooper township. He is 
n< w the 1 wner of a hue farm of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres, pleasantly located four 
and a half miles east of Fort Dodge, and 
in connection with its operation he also cul- 
tivates rented property to the amount of 
four hundred and forty acres. Of this 
about one hundred and fifty acres are de- 
voted tn corn and a similar amount to small 
grain, while the remainder is in hay and 
pasture. He keeps from fifty to seventy 
bead of cattle and a large number of horses 
and hugs. He has good and substantial 
buildings upon his place, and everything 
about the farm testifies to the thrift and in- 
dustry < if the owner. 

On the 226 of February, 1864, Mr. 
Pingel married Miss Dora Dubler, win 
was born in Germany, October 17, 1844, a 
daughter of John and Mary (Gillhoff) Dub- 
ler. Her father died in that country and 



her mother afterward came to America, 
where she passed away at the age of sev- 
enty-eight years. Of their five children 
three are still living: John, Sophia and 
Dora. The children born to our subject and 
his wife are William, Paulina, John, 
Louisa, Frederick, Otto, Norman, Edward, 
Herman. Christian, George and Frank, all 
living; and Anna, who died at the age of 
eighteen years. The family have a pleas- 
ant home, where hospitality and good cheer 
abound, and they stand high in the com- 
munity where t'hey reside. Mrs. Pingel is 
a member of the Reformed church and is 
a most estimable lady. Our subject is lib- 
eral in his religious views and is a Republi- 
can in politics. 



UFA. JOHN A. CHRISTENSON. 

Rev. John A. Christenson, the beloved 
past r of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran 
church of Dayton. Iowa, was born in 
Sweden, September 29, 1854, a son of Carl 
and Anna Christina (Carl) Christenson, 
Who were also natives of that country. The 
lather was captain of a vessel sailing out 
of Gutteribefg and was lust in a stnrm at 
ea 1 11 ( tctnber jo, 1SN1, when all on board 
perished. His widow subsequently came 
tn America, in 11X87. with her youngest 
son, and is now living with another sun in 
Princeton, Illinois. In the family were five 
children, namely: Carl, who married 
Anna Carlson and died in Sweden in 1897; 
John A., our subject: Gustave, who is mar- 
ried and living in Princeton, Illinois; Al- 
fred, a resident of Belvidere, that state; 
and Francis, who makes his home in Chi- 
cagi i'. 

Mr. Christenson, of this review, beeran 




REV. JOHN A. CHRIS? ENSON 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



317 



his educatii n in the public schools 1 t 
Sweden, and was graduated therefrom in 
1871. Having decided to trj his fortune 
on this side pf the Atlantic, he came to 
America in May. [88 >, and first set foot on 
American soil at Boston. He spent three 
mi nths at Chicago, and then went to Rock- 
ford, Illinois, where he remained for -a .year 
and a half, being employed as an expert 
machinist while carrying on his theological 
studies preparatory 1 •• g the min- 

istry. In 1882 he took charge of a small 
congregatii n at De Kail). Illinois. 

Prior to this Mr. Christenson was mar- 
ried at RockfOrd, April 8, 1881, to Miss 
Lotta Swan, who was born in Stockholm, 
Sweden. December 3, 1857, and died i 1 
tober 4, 1887. her remains being interred 
in Chicago. She ilosl her mother when 
quite yi Ling-, and her father died in 1887. 
Both were life-long residents of Swi 
They had two children, one of whom also 
died in that country. 

About Christmas. 1884, Mr. Christen 1 
si n went to Chicagi to take charge of the 
Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Mission 
church near Humboldt Park, and remained 
there until November, 1888. There he was 
married October 19, 1888. to Miss Jose- 
phine Nettenstrom, who was born in 
Sweden. January 4. ^863, a daughtei 
J. P. and Anna Lisa Nettenstrom, also na- 
tive- of that country. In 1881 the famih 
emigrated to the United Sta 
in Chicago, where the father worked at his 
trade of blacksmithing with good success 
for many years and is now living a retired 
life, enjoying the fruits of fi rmer toil. < >f 
his nine children the following are still liv- 
ing: Bettie. wife of Otto Elg, of Chicago; 
Josephine, wife of our subject; Joel, who 
married Ellen Peterson and resides in Chi- 
cago, beinsr an architect for the Chicago, 



Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, erecting 
buildings and bridges for that company; 
d, who married Emma Johnson, and 
is a cutter and tailor of Chicago; Richard, 
who is a bookkeeper in the First National 
Bank 1 E Chicago: Ida, wife < t John Saf- 
strom, 1 f that city; and Rimer, who is at- 
tending school in Chicagi 

By his first marriage Mr. Christensi n 
wi 1 si ns : Edwin, b rn in Ri ckfi rd, 
tllinois, April 21, 1882; and David, born 
in DeKalb, Illinois, April 15. [884. There 
were seven children by the second union, 
namely: Ellen, born in Galesburj 
Decern! j< 2 >. [889; Mabel, 1)' rn in Sioux 
City, Ii wa. Uigusl 12, 1891 ; Ab< 
Dayton, October io. [893; .Myrtle, born in 
n, August m. 1895; Wilburt, born in 
'. Septembe r o. 1896 : ( '1< ments, born 
in Da} ti n, 1 Icti her 10. [898 : and I 
dore, born in Dayton, November 1. i 

I )n lca\ ing I 1 SSS, 

Mr. Christensi n went to Galesburg, tllinois, 
to taki 1 f the Second Lutheran 

church 1 f that place, and remained 
until August, 1890. In June 1 f that year 
he went to Jamestown, New York, where he 
examined and ordained a minister of 
the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Au- 
gustana synod. He then accepted a call 
fri in the church of that denomination at 
City, Iowa, and from there came to 
Dayton in May. 1893, as pastor of the Swed- 
ish Evangelical Lutheran church 
place, and is still filling that position. 
Here he has a nice church and a good par- 
.. and under his able guidance the 
church has steadilj prospered and is now in 
a flourishini n. lie is a bi 

minded, liberal man and excellent scholar, 
having a fine library < f several hundred 
volumes, of which he makes good use. In 
his pi litical views he is a stanch Republican, 



3i8 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and is a man highly respected and esteemed 
not only by the people of his own congre- 
gation but by all who know him. 



C. L. GRANGER. 



The financial and commercial interests 
of Fort Dodge would be very incomplete 
and unsatisfactory without a personal and 
somewhat extended mention of those whose 
lives are so closely interwoven with the de- 
velopment and business interests of the city 
which has been the home and scene of labor 
of many men who have not only led lives 
that should serve as inspiration to others 
but have also been of important service to 
their city and county through various ave- 
nues of usefulness. Although Mr. Granger 
was not a pioneer of Webster county, there 
is no man who more richly deserves men- 
tion in this volume than he. His business 
interests were so broad and varied that he 
contributed in large measure to the general 
prosperity, and yet not alone along business 
lines were his efforts put forth for the pub- 
lic good, fur from the time he took up his 
abode in Webster county his life record be- 
came an important chapter in its history. 

C. L. Granger was a native of Michi- 
gan, born at Mt. Clemens. February u, 
1850, and was a son of Sylvester and Mary 
(Venue) Granger. When quite young his 
family removed to Crown Point. Indiana, 
and it was here Mr. Granger grew to man- 

1 d and received his early mental training. 

From the first he became interested in the 
implement trade and his whole life was de- 
voted to that line of business. While still 
a young man he became associated with the 
McCormick Company, and it was but a 
lime before they recognized his worth 
and ability. He was first promoted to the 



position of general agent in Illinois and later 
held the same position in Pennsylvania, 
Maryland, Xew Jersey and Delaware. In 
1879 ne determined to seek a new field of 
labor and entered the business world as a 
dealer. Landing in Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 
December of that year, he soon embarked 
in the wholesale and retail agricultural im- 
plement business, which he continued up 
to the time of his death. 

At Crown Point, Indiana, October 14, 
1874, Mr. Granger was united in marriage 
with Miss Alice A. Willey, a native of that 
state. Her father, George Willey, was a 
pioneer of Indiana, where he continued to 
make his home throughout life. Both he 
and his wife are now deceased and are sleep- 
ing their last sleep in the Crown Point 
cemetery. , 

As before stated, it was at a very early 
age that Mr. Granger began business for 
himself, and his success in life was due en- 
tirely to his own efforts. He belonged to 
the great army of self-made men that have 
by their industry, perseverance and straight- 
forward business methods made this com- 
mercial world of ours what it is to-day, the 
greatest in the whole world. When but a 
youth he formed a habit of making use of 
all his opportunities, and his success was 
by no means the result of fortunate circum- 
stances. It came to him as a natural result 
of energy, labor and perseverance, directed 
by an evenly-balanced mind and honorable 
business principles. He determined to 
make a success of his life, and the pros- 
perity that came to him was well deserved. 

In addition to his regular business Mr. 
Granger was also associated with other en- 
terprises. He was one of the organizers of 
the Cardiff Gypsum Company, and re- 
mained a stockholder of the same up to the 
time of his death. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



319 



Fraternally Mr. Granger was a Knight 
Templar Mason and a member of the Royal 
Arcanum and Legion of Honor, and politi- 
cally was identified with the Republican 
party. As a public-spirited and progressive 
citizen he took an active and influential 
part in municipal affairs, and for four terms 
most efficiently served as mayor of Fort 
Dodge. It has been said by those who were 
most closely associated with him at that 
time that he was the strong supporter of all 
movements calculated to benefit the city of 
bis adoption, and to-day all acknowledge 
that never were the reins of city govern- 
ment in more capable hands. He was an 
enterprising man and all matters pertaining 
to the public welfare received his hearty 
endorsement. Over his life record there 
falls no shadow of wrong; his public serv- 
ice was most exemplary, and his private life 
was marked by the utmost fidelity to duty. ' 
He died at Passavant Hospital, Chicago, 
where he bad gone for treatment, April 6, 
1900. after having been in poor health for 
some time. His death was a sad blow to his 
wife and friends, of which he had scores, 
ami he is to-day mourned by all who knew 
him. He made for himself a record in busi- 
ness, and by his well-directed efforts ac- 
quired a handsome competence. 



JOHN FALLON. 

John Fallon, deceased, was for many 
years one of the leading farmers and repre- 
sentative citizens of Douglas township. He 
was born in Ireland on the 19th of April, 
1831, and came to America in 1833. For 
some time he made his home in Clinton 
county. New York, where he owned and 
operated a farm of one hundred and ten 
acres. 



Before leaving the Empire state Mr. 
Fallon was married, January 8, 1858, to 
Miss Mary Gannon, who was born in New 
York city, April 2, 1840. Her parents, 
Thomas and Alary (Mahon) Gannon, were 
natives of Ireland and came to the new 
world when young. Her father, who was 
a mason by trade, spent his last days in 
Clinton county, New York, where he died 
at the advanced age of eighty-three years. 
His wife was seventy-nine years old at the 
time of her death. Of the nine children 
born to them only two reached years of 
maturity, and Mrs. Fallon is the only one 
of the family now living. Our subject and 
his wife became the parents of fourteen 
children, who are still living, namely: 
William H.. Thomas, Alary, Frank, George, 
Julius, Joseph, Josephine. Hattie, Lena, 
James, John, Anna and Clement. Those 
deceased are Charles, who was the second 
in order of birth and died on the home farm 
in 1893; Bennett John, who died in Chi- 
cago, May 20, 1886; and Kattie, who died 
when quite young. 

In November, 1866, Mr. Fallon came 
to Iowa and took up his residence in Web- 
ster county, first buying one hundred and 
sixty acres of land in Douglas township in 
partnership with his brother Henry. Sub- 
sequently he purchased the farm where his 
last days were spent, and at the time of his 
death owned five hundred and sixty acres 
of rich and arable land under a high state 
of cultivation. He was a hard-working, 
energetic man and met with marked suc- 
cess in his farming operations. He also 
gave considerable attention to the feeding 
of stock and prospered in that undertaking. 
As one of the leading and influential 
citizens of his township Mr. Fallon was 
called upon to till several local offices of 
honor and trust, such as assessor and trus- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



tee. and always took quite an active and 
prominent part in public affairs. In his 
political views he was first a Democrat, but 
was later independent in politics, and in re- 
ligii us faith was a Catholic. After a use- 
ful and well-spent life, he died December 9, 
honored ami respected by all who 
knew him. His family still reside on the 
nld home farm and are people of promi- 
nence in the community where they reside. 
William H. Fallon, the oldest son of 
1 ui' subject, was born in Clinton county, 
New Y< rk, December 7. 1859. and began 
his education in the public schools of that 
itate, continuing his studies in the schools 
of Douglas township after the removal of 
lite family to this county. He is now ad- 
ministrator of his father's estate, and in 
the conduct of the business displays ex- 
ceptional ability and sound judgment. He 
is now successfully engaged in farming 
upon three hundred and twenty acres of 
kind, one hundred of which are devoted 
n. seventy to small grain and the 
remainder to pasture and ha}-. In con- 
n with his brothers he carries on 
the home farm, and makes a specialty of 
the breeding of standard thoroughbred 
hor'ses and owns some very valuable ani- 
mal-, including two thoroughbred stallions 
ami one standbred. Some of his horses 
have fine records. He also keeps seven- 
teen head of cattle and takes great pride in 
his stock. In politics he is independent. 



LOUIS W. XEUDECK. 

The- subject of this sketch is one of the 
most prosperous farmers and stock raisers 
of Web-ter county, and is the largest land 
owner in Douglas t< wnship, where he has 



made his home since 1887. He was born 
on the 3d of .May. 1S52. in St. Anthony, 
nenv East Minneapolis. Minnesota, and is a 
son of Louis and Catherine (Wolf) Neu- 
deck, the former born in Wurtemberg, Ger- 
many, December 2$, 1821, the latter in 
Epenberen Westphalia. Germany. Decem- 
ber 7. [826. < )n hi- emigration to America, 
about 1842, the father located in Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania, and when a young man 
followed a seafaring life. Later be en- 
gaged in the cattle business to some extent 
in Illinois and in the dry goods business at 
Stillwater, Minnesota, from 1848 to 1850. 
lie was next interested in the lumber busi- 
ness at St. Anthony and subsequently in the 
meat business, being one of the early settlers 
of that place. In [862 he joined Anson 
Mi rthrup's company at the outbreak of the 
Xew Ulm Indian massacre. He served in 
this company until the Indians were sub- 
dyed in 1863, when he crossed the plains 
with provisions, etc., and opened up a cattle 
ranch in Helena, Montana. Returning in 
the spring- of 1864. be soon afterward 
Captain Fisk's expedition, which 
A'as organized for the purpose of transpi 1 . 
tng provisions, etc.. to the gold fields of 
Idaho. When about two hundred miles 
north of Fort Rice the party went into camp 
for dinner and after a two-hours' 
they resumed their journey. While in 
camp one of Mr. Neudeek's oxen strayed 
away. Telling the rest of the party to con- 
tinue their way, he started in search of the 
animal with no thought of danger, as it v as 
thought that not an Indian was near, but 
such was not the case, as he had gone but a 
short distance ere he was killed, on the 2d 
of October, 1864. It seems as if this was a 
signal, for at once, from all quarters In- 
dians appeared. The party at once went 
into camp again and made preparations for 




LOUIS W. NEUDECK 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



323 



an attack. For two weeks they held the In- 
dians at bay, hoping for reinforcements, as 
two of their number had gone back to Fort 
Rice after the soldiers which were stationed 
there, but bef< re their arrival twelve of the 
party were killed and many wounded. 

Mrs. Neudeck died April 14. 1881. In 
the family of this worthy couple were five 
children who reached years of maturity, 
namely: .Mrs. Eliza Stetson, of Minne- 
apolis, Minnesota; Louis \\ .. our subject; 
William 11.. also a residenl of Minneap 
Mrs. Carrie Smith, of Los Angeles, Cali- 
fi rnia; and Lucy, who married Lou Four- 
rev and died at the age of twenty-one years. 

Louis W. Neudeck passed his boyh 1 

and youth in Minneapolis and is indebted 
to its public scho Is for his educational ad- 
vantages. On starting out in life for him- 
self he was first employed as a herdsman for 
the cattlemen of Minneapolis. In 1870 he 
went to Duluth. where lie engaged in the 
meat business for a rear, at the end 1 if which 
time he removed to Austin. Minnesota, 
where the following year was spent in the 
same business. In 1872 he engaged in the 
meat business at Red Wing, that state, 
where he continued for about nine years. 
He then returned to Minneapolis, where he 
carried on an extensive meat and cattle 
business on In th the east and west side up 
to the time of his removal to Webster coun- 
ty, Iowa. In connection with this business 
he also conducted a large farm, most of the 
land being' used for grazing purposes. In 
1887 he disposed of his interests in Minne- . 
SOta and purchased eight hundred and 
eighty acres of valuable farm land in Doug- 
las township, this county. This place is 
supplied with good and substantial build- 
ings and everything- about the farm shows 
the careful supervision of its owner, who is 
one of the most up-to-date and progressive 



agriculturists of northwestern Iowa. In ad- 
dition to his farming operations Mr. Neu- 
deck has become known as the most, exten- 
sive breeder of polled Angus cattle in this 

on of the state, and at present has ,,,, 
two hundred head of thoroughbreds upon 
his place. lie ships his cattle to all parts 
of the west and south and also east of the 
Mississippi river. Trior to coming to Iowa 
lie was engaged in the same line of busi- 
ness in Minnesota and has been eminently 
successful in this venture. Me is alsi .1 
breeder of French coach horses. Shropshire 
sheep and Poland China hogs, and keeps 
front forty-five to fifty head of horses. For 
ten years he has owned Illustre, a celebrated 
imported French coach stallion. On ac- 
o unt of his stock most 1 f his land is used 
fir pasturage, but three hundred acres are 
yearl) planted in corn and 1 al - 

Mr. Neudeck was married. Octob 
1878, to Miss Clara < >. Eames, a nati 
Oquawka, Illinois, and a daughter of Cap- 
tain Obediah and Mary (Biglow) Eames. 
Her father, who was horn in 1824, died in 
1881, hut her mother is still living. Cap- 
tain Eames built and ran several steamboats 
o.n the Mississippi river between Stillwater, 
Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri, for 
a number of years. He also had large cat- 
tle and landed interests. Mr. and Mrs. 
Neudeck have five children: Vinnie E., 
Louis M., Harry W., Mabel C. and 
Ertel M. 

Mr. Neudeck is a prominent Mason, 
being a member of the Mystic Shrine of 
Des Moines, and his family belongs to the 
[Methodist Episcopal church. His political 
support is given to the men and measures of 
the Democratic party, but he takes no active 
part in public affairs, preferring to give his 
undivided attention to his own business in- 
terests. He to-day enjoys the reward of his 



324 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



painstaking and conscientious work. By 
his energy, perseverance and fine business 
ability he lias been enabled to secure an 
ample fortune. Systematic and methodical, 
his sagacity, keen discrimination and sound 
judgment have made him one of the most 
prosperous agriculturists of Iowa. 



THOMAS CAHILL. 

Prominent among the citizens of Fort 
Dodge now retired from active business 
cares is Thomas Cahill, who is spending 
his declining years is ease and quiet at his 
pleasant h< me, 902 Third avenue north. 
He was born in Kilkenny. Ireland, in 1830, 
and is a son of Patrick Cahill, who came 
to the United States in 1852, and spent his 
last days at Palo Alto, Iowa. Rev. Michael 
Cahill. a brother of our subject, was or- 
dained a Catholic priest at St. Louis in 
1854, and the following year was appointed 
pastor of a church at Boomington, Illinois. 
He died in Paris in 1857. 

Thomas Cahill passed the days of his 
minority in his native land, and in January. 
185 1, came to the New World. He first 
located in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, later 
spent two years in Ohio, and from there re- 
moved to Elgin, Illnois, in 1854. The fol- 
lowing year he came to Iowa and bought a 
farm near Iowa City, and in 1856 took up 
a claim in Palo Alto county, being there at 
the time of the Indian massacre in that 
county. In the spring of 1857 ne located 
permanently in Fort Dodge. 

Mr. Cahill was married in Chicago, 111 1- 
in July, 1857, to Miss Bridget Hickey, 
a sifter of Judge Hickey, and a native of 
County Kilkenny. Ireland. Of the six- 
children horn of this union Katherine is the 



only one now living. The sons were 
Michael, who died at the age of seven 
months; Thomas Patrick, who died in 1888, 
at the age of twenty-eight years; Michael 
Joseph, who died in infancy; Daniel, who 
died at the age of seven years ; and James, 
who died in childhood. Thomas Patrick 
was educated at Professor Kenyon's Col- 
lege and served as assistant county treas- 
urer for a time, being a very bright and 
promising young man. The wife and 
mother, who was a most estimable lady, 
died October 10, 1901, at the age of sixty- 
nine years. 

On taking up his residence in Fort 
Dodge in 1857, Mr. Cahill embarked in the 
•grocery business with William Halihan on 
Market street next to Laufersweiler's furni- 
ture store, and that partnership continued 
until the fall of 1858, afer which he was 
alone in business on the corner of Walter 
street and First avenue south until 1862. 
During that year he became interested in 
railroad contracting, and for twenty-one 
years engaged in that business, receiving 
large contracts for grading the road beds 
of the Illinois Central; Burlington. Cedar 
Rapids & X. >rthern and the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railroads. On account of 
failing health he retired from business 
about 1895, having accumulated enough 
property to enable him to spend his remain- 
ing years in ease and comfort. His real 
estate holdings in Fort Dodge include one 
lot on Third avenue and Ninth street and 
three lots on block 22 First avenue south. 
All of this property has been acquired 
through his own unaided efforts and he de- 
serves great credit for the success he has 
achieved in life. For almost forty years he 
was one of the active and progressive men 
of the city, as well as one of its most re- 
liable ami honorable citizens, and now in 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



325 



his declining years is enjoying a well-earned 
rest, free from the cares and responsibilities 
( 1 business life. 



VICTOR GABRIELSOX. 

This gentleman is entitled to distinction 
as one of the most progressive and enter- 
prising business men of Dayton. No one 
in the locality is better known, for his en- 
tire life has here been passed, and all his 
interests from boyhood have been closely 
associated with those of Webster county. 
He is now engaged in the hardware and 
agricultural implement business in partner- 
ship with his brother, George A. 

Mr. Gabrielson was born in Dayton, on 
the 30th of March, 1868, and is a son of 
Ji hn Gabrielson, whose sketch appears on 
another page of this volume. Upon the 
hi »nie farm he grew to manhood, giving his 
father the benefit of his labors until nine- 
teen years of age. His early education, ac- 
quired in the common schools, was supple- 
mented by two years' attendance at the 
■\Yestern Normal School at Shenandoah. 
Iowa, where he won the degree of D. D. 
For two year- he taught in district schools 
and for one year in a graded school. He 
then accepted a position with the firm of 
Grange & Mitchell, implement dealers at 
Fi irt Dodge, and at the end of a year bought 
an interest in the hardware business of 
Richardson & Roerbeck at Dayton, but two 
years later sold out to Mr. Richardson, and 
111 connection with his brother, George A., 
opened a new establishment as dealers in 
hardware and implements. This business 
they still carry on, having met with well- 
merited success. Through courtesy to their 
customers and by fair and honorable deal- 
ing, they have gained a liberal share of the 



public patronage, and to-day occupy an en- 
viable position in business circles. 

In 1893 Mr. Gabrielson was united in 
marriage with Miss Hannah Sackrison, of 
Stratford, Iowa, who was born Januarv 1, 
[865, in Illinois. Her parents. Mr. and Mrs. 
John Sackrison, were both natives of Swe- 
den, and came to America in early life, 
their marriage being celebrated in Illinois. 
The mother is deceased, but the father is 
still living and continues to reside in Strat- 
ford. In early life he followed farming, 
but is now retired from active labor. His 
family consisted of six children, namely: 
Otto, who now lives with our subject; 
Mary, wife of John Carlson, of Hamilton 
county, Iowa; Emily, who died at the age 
■ i -even years; Albert, who married Caro- 
line Israelson and resides in Hardin town- 
ship, this county; and Eddie and Gust, who 
live with Albert. Mr. and Mrs. Gabrielson 
have two children: Nellie V., born May 
27. 1895; and John H., born January 16, 
1898. The family have a pleasant home in 
Dayton, where hospitality and good cheer 
reign supreme. Mrs. Gabrielson is a mem- 
ber of the Swedish Methodist Episcopal 
church, and our subject belongs to the 
Knights of Pythias fraternity. Politically 
he is identified with the Democratic partv. 
He is quite popular both in business and 
social circles and highly respected bv all 
who know him. 



GEORGE LARSON. 

One of the leading agriculturists and 
highly respected citizens of Badger town- 
ship is George Larson, whose home is on 
section 8. His success in life has been 
worthily achieved, as in him are embraced 



326 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the characteristics of an unbending integ- 
rity, unabated energy and industry that 
never flag. Coming to this county in 
March. [865, he has witnessed almost its 
entire development, and has materially 
aided in its upbuilding and advancement. 

A native of Norway, Air. Larson was 
born in the "land of the midnight sun." 
September 16, 1833, and there grew to 
manhood upon a farm, being given but lim- 
ited school privileges. In 1855 he took 
passage on a sailing vessel, and after about 
eight weeks on the water landed in Quebec, 
Canada, whence he made his way to Dane 
county, Wisconsin, where he worked on the 
railroad for about six years. 

At the end of that period Mr. Larson 
came to Webster county, Iowa, and pur- 
chased eighty acres of raw- prairie land 
where he now resides and built thereon a 
log house, which was his It -me for seven or 
eight rears. In the meantime he placed 
acre after acre of his land under the plow 
until it was all under cultivation, lie broke 
the land with two yoke of oxen, and has 
made all the improvements upon the place, 
having recently erected a large and pleas- 
ant residence, lie has also built barns and 
other outbuildings, has set out fruit and 
shade trees, and now has a fine grove of 
maple and forest trees planted from the 
seed. 

Before leaving Norway Mr. Larson 
married Miss Anna Marear. who died in 
Wisconsin, leaving fixe children, namely: 
Mary, Louis, John, Sebert and Albert. He 
was again married in Wehster county, 
[owa, in 1868, his second union being with 
Miss Cecelia Severson, who was also born 
and. reared in Norway, and on coming to 
this country spent eight years in Dane coun- 
ty. Wisconsin, before taking up her resi- 
dence in Webster county, Iowa. By his 



last marriage Mr. Larson had five children, 
two , f whom are still living: Severer:, 
who married Tillie Johnson and has one 
child. Gyhard S. ; and Albert. 

Politically Mr. Larson has always been 
identified with the Republican party since 
casting his first presidential vote for Abra- 
ham Lincoln, but he has newer sought or 
cared for official preferment, desiring rather 
to dewote his entire time and attention to 
his agricultural interests. He is a man of 
good business ability, and as he thoroughly 
understands his chosen occupation he has 
met with remarkable success since coming 
to this country, and is to-day the owner of 
a line farm of four hundred acres under ex- 
cellent cultivation and well improved. 



JOHN ROLL. Tr. 



John Roll. Jr.. who is now successfully 
engaged in the liquor business at 602 First 
avenue south. Fort Dodge. Iowa, was born 
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the 14th of 
December, 1856, and is one of a family of 
ten children, whose parents are John and 
Mary (Schnek) Roll, a sketch of whom 
appears elsewhere in this volume. 

During the infancy of our subject the 
family came to Iowa, and he was principally 
reared and educated in Fort Dodge. After 
leaving school he assisted his father in the 
brewery business until 1886. and later 
worked for the roadmaster of the Minne- 
apolis & St. Louis Railroad for about a 
year. Since then he has engaged in the 
liquor business in Fort Dodge and now 
owns a saloon at 602 First avenue south, 
as previously stated. He also acts as 
wholesale agent for the West Side Brewing 
( '.1 mpany of Chicago. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



327 



Mr. Koll was married October 27, 18S1, 

to Miss Minnie Osmondson, a daughter of 
Christ and Rachel (Raymer) Osmondson, 
who are natives of Norway and are n , 
residents of Fori Dodge. Four children 
blessed this union, namely: Albeit Francis, 
born July 21, 1882, was killed October 29, 
iSS;; Harry Edgar, hum .March [8, 1NN1. 
is at home; Hattie Aileen. born December 
6, 1887, was a graduate from the Roge; 
School of Music of Fort Dodge and then 
attended a school of music in Chicago; and 
Violet Elizabeth, born December jj, [893, 

mpletes the family. The family have a 
nice home at 306 Second avenue north. 
Mr. EG 11 is a wide-awake, energetic ami 

pr< gressive man. and is meeting with g 1 

success. Fraternally he is connected with 
the Improved Order of Red Men, and his 
wife is a member of the Iowa Legion of 
]|i m r. 

■»-<-*■ 

WILLIAM J. VAN OSDOLL. 

William J. Van < )sdoll, deceased, was for 
many years prominently identified with the 
business interests of Fort Dodge, and was 

1 ne 1 t its most honored and highly re- 
spected citizens. A native of Pennsylvania, 
he was horn in Meshoppen, Wyoming 

nnty, December 18, 1829, and was a son 
1 f Philip and Melissa (Churchill) Van 
( >sd< 11, who came to this country from Hol- 
land and settled in Meshoppen, where our 
subject was reared and educated. In early 
life he learned the mason's trade, and at the 
1 twenty years commenced contracting 
and building on his own account. 

Mr. Van Osdoll was thus employed un- 
til after the Civil war broke out, when he 
entered the service of his country, enlist- 
ing 1 n the 1 -t of September. 1862, in Com- 



pany P. Fifty-second Pennsylvania Volun- 
teer Infantry, under Captain Jayne and 
Colonel Dodge. The regiment became a 
1 an of the Army of the Cumberland, I 
assigned to the First Brigade. Third Divis- 
ion. Fourth and Tenth Corps. Mr. Van 
Osdoll was mustered into service Septem- 
ber 16, [862, and with his command was 
sent to North Carolina to operate against 
Wilmington. Beauport ami Port Royal 
lie took part in the engagement on Morris 
Island, July 10, 1863, and at Fort Wagner 
from that date until the Oth of the follow- 
ing September, and was in the assault on 
Charleston in July, [864. Lie remained on 
Morris Island during the summer and 
autumn of ] 8* 14, doing duty as boat in- 
fantry, and in February, [865, Major Hen- 
nessy, with Company 1'., proceeded ag 
the city of Charleston and captured that 
stronghold of treason. On account of fever 
our subject was confined in the hospital at 
Beauport for four weeks, and was detailed 
fi ir special duty in the signal corps \< 
months in the fall of 1864. Lie was at- 
tached to the Army of the Cumberland un- 
til the last year of the war. when he was 
transferred to> Sherman's army. On the 
cessation of hostilities he was honorably 
discharged at Salisbury. North Carolina. 
June 24, 1865. 

When the war was over Mr. Van < >sdi 11 
returned to his old home in Meshoppen, 
Pennsylvania, where he followed his chosen 
calling until the spring of 1868, when he 
came to Fort Dodge, Iowa, and continued 
to ivork at the mason's trade at this place 
throughout the remainder of his life. On 
locating here he built a house for the ac- 
commodation of his family. 

On the 2d of July, 1859, in Meshoppen, 
Pennsylvania, Mr. Van Osdoll married 
,\h-- Olive Robinson, a daughter of John 



32* 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and Olive (Howard) Robinson, who were 
natives of that state and residents of Wy- 
oming county, where her father followed 
farming. By this union the following chil- 
dren were born : Lillian, now the wife of 
W. M. Merritt, an insurance adjuster of 
Fort Dodge; Frank, who is a traveling 
salesman for the Stucco Mills and a resi- 
dent of Fort Dodge; and Olive, a stenog- 
rapher for S. R. Dohs, a wholesale fruit 
dealer of Fort Dodge. The son married 
Nettie Beach. 

As a public-spirited citizen Mr. Van 
Osdoll took an active interest in municipal 
affairs, and for four years was an influen- 
tial member of the city council of Fort 
Dodge. Socially he was a member of the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He 
died on the 8th of February, 1898, leaving 
many friends as well as his immediate fam- 
ily to mourn his loss. He was a brave 
soldier and valued citizen, and commanded 
universal respect and esteem. 



SAMUEL ISAAC CHINBURG, D. D. S. 

Prominent among the successful den- 
tists of Webster county is Dr. S. I. Chin- 
burg, of Dayton, who was born in Henry 
county, Illinois, April 15, i860, of Swedish 
parentage. His father, who was a farmer 
by occupation, entered the service of his 
adopted country during the Civil war, and 
died in Andersonville prison. The mother 
died in Boone county, Iowa. In their fam- 
ily were five children, namely: August; 
Charles J., who married Tilla Burnquist 
and resides in Odebolt, Iowa; Carrie, 
widow of C. M. Blaine and a resident of 
La Crosse, Wisconsin; Mary, wife of Ho- 
bart Crane, of Menominee, Michigan ; and 
Samuel Isaac, of this review. 



Dr. Chinburg received a good common- 
school education, graduating from the third 
ward school of Des Moines. He then took 
a two years' course in dentistry at the 
Pennsylvania University, Philadelphia, and 
since leaving that institution in 1879 has 
successfully engaged in the practice of his 
chosen profession in Iowa, being located at 
Des Moines for' over ten years. He was 
then upon the road for nearly the same 
length of time, finally locating in Dayton 
in 1895. Here he has since made his head- 
quarters, but still does considerable work 
outside of the town. He has a well-equipped 
office, and enjoys a large and lucrative prac- 
tice, his skill and ability being widely recog- 
nized. 



PATRICK SCALLY. 

Patrick Scully, deceased, who for many 
years was prominently identified with the 
business interests of Fort Dodge, Iowa, was 
born in Castletown, Geoghagan, Ireland, in 
1828, and came alone to America at the 
age of fourteen years. He first located in 
Illinois, where he worked in the mines for 
a number of years. While thus employed 
the Civil war broke out, and he manifested 
his love for his adopted country by enlist- 
ing at Belleville, Illinois, July 2j, 1801. as 
a private in Company K, Twenty-second 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, but was after- 
ward promoted to orderly sergeant. He 
participated in the battles of Missionary 
Ridge, Chickamauga, Chattanooga and 
Perryville and many other engagements 
under General Sherman ; and was a member 
of the corps sent to the relief of General 
Burnside. He was wounded at Knoxville, 
Tennessee. After over three years of 
arduous and faithful service on southern 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



329 



battle fields, he was honorably discharged 
August 1. 1X1,4. and returned to his home 
in Illinois with a war record of which he 
could be justly proud. 

In (868 Mr. Scally came to Fort Dodge, 
and after being engaged in the saloon busi- 
ness for a short time, he opened a hotel in 
a building on the square and successfully 
conducted it until 1883. During the fol- 
lowing two years he practically lived re- 
tired and then again embarked in the hotel 
business, which he carried on until failing 
health compelled his retirement in 1891. 

At the church of the Holy Cross, in 
Xew York city, .Air. Scally was married, 
May 10. iN-,,. to Miss Rose Phelan, whose 
parents lived on a farm in Ireland adjoin- 
ing the Scally homestead. For four years 
previous to this Mrs. Scally had resided in 
that city, but after her marriage came to 
Fori Dodge, where they continued to make 
their home until his death, which occurred 
May 12, 1897. Of the four children born 
to himself and wife two survive him: 
Mary, wife of P. M. Dowd, a grocer of 
Fort Dodge; and Thomas, freight agent for 
the Illinois Central Railroad at this place. 
In business affairs Mr. Scally prospered 
and accumulated considerable property, in- 
cluding some farm land in Webster countv. 
a part of which his widow still owns, hav- 
ing a good farm in Don-las township and 
another in Washington township. She 
also owns the building where the firm of 
Dowd & Scally are engaged in the grocery 
business and her pleasant residence at 520 
Third avenue south. At one time Mr. 
Scally was engaged in prospecting for coal, 
and was always a very progressive and en- 
ergetic business man. He was a member of 
( ' rpus Christi church and Fort Donelson 
Post, Xo. 2^, G. A. R., of Fort Dodge, 
and was a man highly respected and 



esteemed by all who knew him. In the care 
of her property Mrs. Scally has displayed 
good business and executive ability, and 
has met with good success. She is 'a most 
estimable woman, and has a large circle of 
friends and acquaintances in Fort Dodge 
who esteem her highly for her genuine 
worth. 

■» » » 

ROBERT WILSON BLAIX. 

One of the representative farmers of 
W ebster county, Iowa, who has done much 
toward promoting the advancement and 
welfare of this section of the state, is Rob- 
ert Wilson Blain, who is now living retired 
on a farm of two hundred and forty acres 
in Douglas township. He is of Scotch de- 
scent, his grandfather. Robert Blain. hav- 
ing emigrated from Scotland in 1S02, and 
ed in Westmoreland county. Pennsyl- 
vania. There his life was spent in the pur- 
suits of farming and blacksmithing until 
hi- death, he having attained the age of 
eighty years. His wife. Elizabeth (John- 
son) Plain. al>o lived to an advanced age. 
William Blain. the father of our sub- 
ject, was but one year of age when he came 
to America with his parents. He spent the 
greater part of his life in Westmoreland 
county. Pennsylvania, but when fifty years 
of age he removed to California. There he 
engaged in mining, and passed away in his 
fifty-second year. He married Miss Cath- 
erine Weih. who was a faithful and loving 
companion to him, and who, lived to the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-four. They were the 
parents of nine children, eight of whom 
reached mature years. Our subject, who is 
the eldest of the children, and a sister. Emily 
Graig. who resides in Chicago. Illinois, are 
the only surviving members of the family. 



330 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Robert Wilson Blain, whose name in- 
troduces this review, was born in West- 
moreland county, Pennsylvania, November 
[,. 1827. In the public schools of his na- 
tive county he received his early education, 
and there lie also learned the trades of gun- 
smith and machinist. In 1843 ne ' ett ms 
native state for the west, and settled in 
Clayton county, Iowa, where he engaged 
in millwright and carpenter work. He was 
employed largely in bridge building and 
mill work in that portion of the state until 
1858, when lie removed to Webster county. 
Prior to his locating in this county he had 
purchased a valuable tract of .land in Clay 
county, which he had cultivated extensively. 
In i860, however, he sold this property and 
purchased the farm upon which he now re- 
sides, and which comprises a tract of two 
hundred and forty acres of rich land. To 
this property he has made improvements, 
and has all the modern equipments and im- 
plements necessary for the perfect culti- 
vation of the land, and in all the surround- 
ing country there is no farm which yields 
more bountiful harvests than that of Mr. 
Blain. Sixty acres of the land is devoted 
to the raising of corn; forty acres yield 
large crops of the smaller grains, while the 
remainder of the land is sown to hay, and 
also affords pasturage for his live stock. 
'I he farm is perfect in its entirety. A com- 
fortable residence, well-filled barns and out- 
buildings present a neat and thrifty ap- 
pearance which plainly indicates the care 
and Labor which have been bestowed upon 
them. In addition to this property, Mr. 
Blain also owns one hundred and sixty acres 
of land in Humboldt county, Iowa. His 
life's labor has been crowned with success. 
and be now lives retired from active life, 
enjoying the well-earned rest which is his 
after years of unceasing labor. The duties 



of the farm are performed by one of his 
sons. 

In 1855 was celebrated the marriage of 
Mr. Blain and AI iss Lydia Kendelstive, a 
native of Illinois, wdio has been a most lov- 
ing and helpful companion on the journey 
of life. Eleven children have blessed the 
marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Blain. namely: 
Edward !•"., James \Y.. Rosella A.. Sarah 
C, Carrie C, Charles L., Fannie A.. Kittie 
M.; William 11., Harry and Elmo. Politi- 
cally Mr. Blain is a stalwart Republican, 
and has always been active in local affairs. 
For nine successive years he held the office 
of township trustee, performing his duties 
with a promptness and fidelity that won for 
him the high respect and commendation of 
his fellow citizens. At the present time he 
is content to remain at his own fireside, de- 
clining to accept any public office. His in- 
fluence fi r good has always been felt in the 
community and mam- issues which have re 
suited in the progress and welfare of the 
county have been made successful through 
his untiring efforts. Since the establish- 
ment of the weather bureau in the state he 
has furnished the reports, and has also re- 
ported the crop conditions for Webster 
county. lie attends the Congregational 
church, and during his entire life has up- 
held the principles of justice and honor. 
He and his family have many friends in 
Webster countw and all who know them 
entertain for them the highest respect. 



ISAAC BELL. 



Among the prominent citizens of Web- 
ster count}-, Iowa, who through a number of 
years has been identified with the farming 
interests of the state, is Isaac Bell, who was 




ISAAC BELL 




MRS. ISAAC BELL 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



335 



bum in Clay county, Indiana. February i_\ 
1835, and is a son of [saac and Amy 
(Craig") Bell. His paternal grandfather 
was one of the brave soldiers of the war of 
iSij. and lived tu an extreme old age. llis 
remains were interred in Vigories cemetery, 
this county. The father of our subject was 
bom in Pennsylvania, and the mother in 
Virginia, of good old Revolutionary stuck. 
They were, married in Ohio and there the 
father engaged for some years in farming, 
and then removed to Clay county, Indiana, 
where he took up a government claim upon 
which the family lived for twelve years. 

Isaac Bell, Sr., was one of those hardy, 
adventurous men. who found enjoyment in 
the dangers and privations of pioneer life, 
enduring the trials in order to reap the bene- 
fits, hence, in [844, he sold his interests in 
Indiana and removed to Iowa, taking up a 
government claim again of one hundred 
and sixty acres. This was raw - prairie land, 
near Washington, then a trading post of 
uiie thousand inhabitants, and this land Mr. 
Eell broke with his oxen. Then this claim 
was sold tu tin isl' win" were willing tu pay 
fur land already broken, and Mr. Bell went 
tu Marion county, where he again took up a 
claim, improved it and three years later sold 
it ami moved into Hamilton county. On 
disposing of his property in that county he 
came ti> Webster county in April. [849. 
Here Mr. Bell bought one hundred and 
sixty acres in Yell township and lived upon 
this farm until his death, in February, 1871, 
his burial being in Vigories cemetery, this 
ti >w nship. 

The mother of our subject was removed 
by death, August 26, iSr.4. In 1865 Mr. 
Bell was married a second lime to- Mrs. 
Cynthia Townslay. The children burn b 
him were twelve in number, and all of the 
first marriage. They were as follows: Ja- 



cob, who firsl married Rachel Hardin and 
second Louisa La} tun, resided in Nell I 
ship; Jane, who married first Andrew 
Fautz and second Samuel Dungan, n 
in Harrison county, Iowa; Nancy, who 
married first Nelson Hunter, second James. 
Johnson and third William McDonald, re 
sided in Yell township; Pressley, who mar- 
ried Elmira Howard, resided in Hamilton 
county, where she died in February, [900; 
Elizabeth is the widow of Henry Craig, and 
resides in Richmond, Indiana; Sarah mar- 
ried Alexander Rogers, of Omaha, Ne- 
braska, and both are deceased: Purlonzo, 
who first married Jane Neice and second 
Mrs. Sophia Allen, lived in Stor) county, 
[owa; Isaac, of this biography, is the eighth 
in order of birth; Lucinda, who married 
William Jered, has passed away, as has her 
husband, having lived in Madrid, Iowa, and 
later. in Kansas; and one child died in in- 
fancy. Of the children five are now living. 
Isaac Hell, of this sketch, attended school 
in Boone county, Iowa, later fur a short 
period at Missouri Bend, and a district 
school] in Webster township, this county. 
After leaving school, at the age of nineteen. 
he continued tu assisl his father on the farm 
until he was twenty-one. Those were pio- 
neer days, and at the time of the location of 
the family in Iowa our subject recalls many 
hunting expeditions taken with his father, 
who was a fine sportsman. Then it was u ., 
trouble to keep the larder supplied with wild 
turkej and venison, and young I >aac became 
an expert hunter. 

On August jo, [858, Mr. Bell was 
united in marriage tu Miss Sarah V Stark. 
who w as In mi 111 \ igi 1, Indiana, Xii-im 1 o. 
[835. The Stark family originated in Wales 
and probably tew familie ; 1 an A m a 
greater number of American patriots upon 
its rolls, from the brave Captain Stark, of 



336 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the Revolutionary fame, whom every school 
buy remembers as intimating the only way 
in which "Molly Stark" might be kept from 
being a widow, on down through later wars 
until 1861, when five brave brothers of Mrs. 
Bell testified to their loyalty by entering the 
Union army. Airs. Bell was the daughter 
of Jesse and Sarah ( Bates 1 Stark, both na- 
tives of Kentucky, although married in In- 
diana. Air. and Airs. Stark lived in Indi- 
ana until 1850, moving then to Monroe, 
Green county, Wisconsin, where they lived 
until the spring of [852. Then they moved 
to Boone county. Iowa, settling on land 
which Air. Stark bought at that time. In 
1853 he moved to Yell township, Webster 
county, and lived upon his farm there until 
his death, October 15, 1877, his widow sur- 
viving until February 7, 188 1. 

Thirteen children were born to Air. and 
Airs. Stark, Airs. Bell being the ninth in 
order of birth, and the others as follows: 
Simeon, who died in Missouri, married Lu- 
zetta Herring, whose death occurred in Illi- 
nois, in which state they lived; Abraham 
married Isabella Herring and died at their 
home in [llinois, where his widow resides; 
Malinda married John Kuvkendall and re- 
sides in Santa Rosa, California; William, 
who married Elizabeth Shew, died in Illi- 
nois; Candace, who married George Kuy- 
kendall. 'lied at their home in Santa Rosa. 
California; Jessie, who married Winnia 
Mitchell, resides in Elmwood, Nebraska; 
James resides in Seattle. Washington; 
Ancel, who married Louisa De Fore, re- 
sides at Encline, Boone county, Iowa; Den- 
nis, who married Margaret Alitchell. re- 
sides at Elmwood. Nebraska; Charles 
gave up his life for his country dur- 
ing the Civil war: Christia Ann resides in 
Elmwood. Nebraska, and is the widow of 
John Mitchell, who died while in the Civil 



war; and George, who married Martha 
Armstrong, resides at Tindall, South Da- 
kota. 

After his marriage our subject moved 
to the fine farm which he now occupies on 
section 1. Yell township, Webster county, 
where his one hundred and fifty-four acres 
are now cultivated by his sons, Air. Bell 
having practically retired from activity. 
This is one of the most valuable farms in 
the township and under his capable man- 
agement has become one of the most pro- 
ductive. 

In political life, like his father, Mr. Bell 
has always adhered to the principles of the 
Democratic part}', and also like his father, 
he has been a leading member of the Chris- 
tian church. Formerly he was connected 
with tire Masonic lodge in Homer, Iowa. 

To Air. and Airs. Bell have been born 
a large and interesting family which has 
few broken links. Many of the children 
have married and the bright faces of happy 
grandchildren now surround our subject 
and his most worthy wife. These children 
were: Albert, born June 21, 1856, married 
first Airs. Ellen Grosehart and second Josie 
Denton; Purlonzo, born May 12, 1858, 
married Alary Swearingen, and they reside 
in Cripple Creek. Colorado; Estelle. born 
February 1. i860, was the wife of Samuel 
Armstrong, of Yell township, and died on 
June 19, 1888; Amy L., born July 6, 1,861, 
married Thomas Ervin and lives in ( >kla- 
homa City, Oklahoma: George S.. born June 
26, 1863, married Lizzie Davis and resides 
in Cripple Creek. Colorado; Alary Alice, 
born November 12,-1867, married Grant 
Paul and resides in Yell township; Charles, 
born November 14, 1869, married Stella 
Baker and lives on the home place : William, 
born November 2, 1872, married Frank- 
Baker and resides in Yell township, on a 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



337 



farm; John F., born November -'5, 1875. 
is single and lives at home; and Edith Delia 
and Eathel Rella, twins, were horn June 25. 
[883. 



C. H. PAYNE. 



New conditions in life gave rise to 
many new enterprises in the nineteenth cen- 
tury, pn minent among which was the mu- 
tual insurance business, and probably 110 
single line of business has been of more 
practical value to mankind than this. The 
very term •'mutual" indicates that many 
share therein and profit by the good results 
that follow this co-operative industry. One 
61 the leading representatives of mutual in- 
surance in northwestern Iowa is C. H. 
Payne, whose long residence in Fort Dodge, 
together with his business activity and ster- 
ling worth, has made him one of the best- 
known and most highly respected citizens 
in this part of the state. He is the present 
secretary of the Farmers Mutual Insurance 
Association of Webster and adjoining 
counties and is a director of the Iowa Tor- 
nado Insurance Company and the Central 
Iowa Mutual Insurance Association, while 
.if several other insurance companies he is 
a representative. 

Mr. Payne was born in Bridgeport, Ad- 
dison county. Vermont, April 25. 1829, a 
son of Roswell and Elmira (Barbour") 
Payne. In 1836 the father removed with 
his family to Galesburg, Illinois, the city 
having but a short time previous been 
founded. He was one of its earliest set- 
tlers and built one of the first houses there 
and devoted his energies to agricultural 
pursuits. Both he and his wife spent their 
remaining days in Galesburg and were laid 
to rest in the cemetery there. After attend- 



ing the common schools C. H. Payne con- 
tinued his education in Knox College, of 
Galesburg, and when a yi »ung man engaged 
in farming in Illinois, following that pur- 
suit until 1868. 

In the spring of that year Mr. Payne 
came to Fort Dodge. Theie was no rail- 
road here at the time and northwestern Iowa 
was still largely unimproved. Mr. Payne 
began merchandising in connection with the 
insurance business, with which he had al- 
ready become somewhat acquainted, having 
written his first insurance application in 
June. [851, nn ire than a half century ago. 
He met with creditable success in his mer- 
cantile enterprise and continued in the busi- 
ness until 187(1. when he sold out.since which 
tune he has given his entire attention to the 
insurance business. In 1884 he was one of 
tlie organizers 1 f the Farmers Mutual In- 
surance Company, which i< now carrying 
insurance to the amount of three ami a half 
million dollars. Success has attended the 
company from the start. The officers are 
L. S. Coffin, president; F. B. Drake, vice-' 
president; C. H. Payne, secretary; and C. 
W. Maher. treasurer, the last named suc- 
ceeding to the office < ai the death of C. C. 
Carpenter. 

On the 15th of April. 185J. Mr. Payne 
was united in marriage to Miss S. A. Reed, 
of Connecticut, and unto them have been 
h->rn seven children; F. \\.. who is pro- 
prietor of a mill and creamery at Williams, 
Iowa; F. E., a farmer and stock-raiser; 
Otho. who is engaged in the breeding of 
line stock; Rev. C. A., who is pastor of the 
( ngregational church in Berlin. Wiscon- 
sin; George H.. a real estate dealer 1 f 
Payne. Knox county. Xehraska ; Henry 
l:.. who is engaged in the real estate busi- 
ness in Omaha: Walter W.. a merchant of 
Truesdale, h-w a: and Harriet, who is as- 



338 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



sisting her lather in business. The family 
attend the Congregational church, of which 
the parents have long been faithful mem- 
bers, while Mr. Payne has served for many 
years as deacon. He is a public-spirited 
citizen, deeply interested in all movements 
calculated to- advance the material, social, 
intellectual or moral interests of the com- 
munity. In his business his enterprise, 
capable management and straightforward 
dealings have brought him creditable pros- 
perity and he is still a very active factor in 
insurance circles, although he has passed 
the Psalnii^t's span of three score years and 
ten. His life, honorable and upright, has 
ever commanded the respect and confidence 
of his fellow men, and among the represen- 
tative citizens of Webster county he well 
deserves prominent mention. 



W. II. II. COLBY & BROTHER. 

The firm whose name introduces this re- 
view is composed of two of the most enter- 
prising and energetic business men of north- 
western Iowa, men who have made their 
own way in the world, who owe their ad- 
vancement and prosperity to their own 
efforts. For a number of years they have 
been identified with business interests in 
Port Dodge, where they are now conduct- 
ing a large livery stable, which is well 
patronized. They also have a feed barn 
which is run in connection with the livery. 
'! be senior member of the firm is W. H. II. 
Colby and the brother is Charles Colby. 
while Fred < .. Colby, a son of the former. 
aKo owns an interest in the business. All 
reside in Fort Dodge, and their progressive 
and enterprising spirit makes them valued 
citizens. 



The Colbys were an old Xew England 
family, and Harrison and Jane Colby, the 
parents of W. IT. II. and Charles Colby, 
were natives of Vermont. The family re- 
moved from the Green Mountain state to 
Wisconsin about 1855. The father traded 
his Vermont property for a stock of jewelry 
in Boston and on arriving at Token creek, 
Wise msin, he exchanged the jewelry for a 
hotel property in the Badger state. He next 
brought his family to the west, and in Wis- 
ci msin conducted a hotel and store, his son, 
W. II. II. Colby, managing the latter. For 
five or six years the father remained there 
ami then traded his property for a farm in 
.Massachusetts. After spending four or five 
years in agricultural pursuits he rented a 
hotel in Greenfield, Massachusetts, called 
the Franklin House, conducting the same 
for about three years, when he returned to 
the farm, which had been rented during the 
time he was in the hotel. This was in 1865. 
It was about 1874 when he came to Fort 
Dodge, where he lived in retirement from 
business cares. His death occurred in 1888 
and his wife passed away fourteen months 
later. They were the parents of four chil- 
dren : Delia, who has passed away; Eliza- 
beth, who is the widow of F. Randall, who 
served as a captain in the Civil war and con- 
tracted disease which resulted in his death 
after the close of hostilities ; and W. H. H. 
and Charles. The living sister is a resident 
of Pasadena, California. 

W. FI. H. Colby was born in Barton, 
Vermont, March 18, 1840, and was about 
fifteen years of age when with his mother, 
his sisters and brother he went to Wis- 
consin to join his father. He assisted 
his father largely in his business there, 
managing the store and early developed 
excellent ability. When only nineteen 
\eais 1 f age he was married, on the 




W. H. H. COLBY 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



34i 



25th of June. [859, to MisS Emily E. 
Spaulding, a daughter of < ieorge A. Spauld- 
iv.g. who was a native of Vermont and an 
early settler of Wisconsin. Her mother 
died in the Badger state and her father 
afterward made his Inane with Mrs. Colby 
until his death. 

After his marriage the subject of this 
review purchased a farm and for a time en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits. During the 
war he purchased horses for the government 
service in Wisconsin. He was also en- 
gaged in the cattle industry, and he pur- 
chased a hotel and livery barn at Sun 
Prairie, Wisconsin, being associated in the 
latter enterprise with Jim and Fred Bird. 
A year later, however, he sold his interest 
and went to-Mesmania, where he purchased 
a livery stable, which he conducted for 
eighteen months and then sold. His next 
place of residence was New Lisbon, \\ is- 
consin, where he entered into partnership 
with Mr. Tobler in the livery business, 
which he conducted for three years. He 
then sold his interest to his partner, and in 
1870 became a resident of Iowa, settling at 
Fort Dodge. Prior to this he went to Du- 
buque at the request of his friend. George 
B. Burch, a prominent lumber dealer, who 
was then mayor of the city, but not liking 
the outlook he decided not to take up his 
abode there and came on to Fort Dodge. 
In company with a partner of Mr. Burch he 
started for Sioux City, looking for a favor- 
able location for a lumber yard ,and after 
visiting many points in Iowa they selected 
Fort Dodge. Mr. Colby leased property 
where the Colby Brothers' barn is now lo- 
cated, with the privilege of buying the same 
within two years, and when six months had 
passed he had prospered so greatly that the 
land was bought by Mr. Colby. He was 
also in the lumber business in Fort Dodge 



for three year- after his arrival here, and 
when he sold out he had ten thousand dol- 
lars up n his bo ks, Ei r he was always gen- 
erous 111 giving credit to the need) 
time upon the purchases and thus enabling 
many to build homes who could not have 
done so otherwise. In 1S70 Mr. 1 
built his first livery barn, and after having 
two wooden structures he now has a fine 
pressed brick barn upon the site of the old 
ones. His land has a frontage of one hun- 
dred and seven feet and a depth of one hun- 
dred and forty feet. The firm also owned a 
farm of three hundred acres, which eventu- 
ally they sold. In addition to renting out 
horses and vehicles of every description the 
firm has' engaged to some extent in the 
breeding of tine horses and now- have about 
eighty head. When a young man W. H. H. 
Colby began driving on the track, and dur- 
ing the greater part of the time since has 
acted as his own driver when- his horses 
have been entered for racers, being still as 
gi od a jockey at the age of sixty-one as he 
was when a young man of twenty. He was 
the owner of the famous horse Minnie Max- 
field, which dropped dead on the track at 
Cedar Rapids. He also owned Charles G. 
Hays, with a record of 2:29*4; John A. 
Rolinds. with a record of 2:29^; raised 
Hazel Maid, which also nude a record of 
2:29^4", and he gave six horses in exchange 
for Alda. whose record was 2:14. He was 
offered three thousand dollars for her at 
Terre 'Haute. He owned Rollo, which in 
the second year made a record .if 2 :j,v _> 
and the fourth year 2:iS r 4 . also won erne 
thousand dollars in Omaha and held the 
world's record twice as a two-year-old. 
Finally this horse was sold in Rhode Island 
for fifteen hundred dollars. In every line of 
business in which Mr. Colby has been en- 
gaged he has won success, and his enter- 



342 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



prise and determination are splendid quali- 
ties which might serve as a profitable ex- 
ample to many others. 

Unto Mr. and Airs. Colby were born 
two children : Fred and Xellie, the latter 
the wife of Arthur Keyes, of California. 
In his social relations Mr. Colby is a Mason 
and is a charter member of the Knights of 
the Golden Eagle in Fort Dodge. In poli- 
tics he takes a deep interest and votes with 
the Republican party, but has always re- 
fused to become a candidate for office, pre- 
ferring to give his undivided attention to 
bis business, which has rewarded his faith- 
fulness with a handsome competence. 



LOUIS ERICKSOX. 

For over a third of a century this gen- 
tleman has been a resident of Webster 
ci unty, and was early identified with its 
agricultural pursuits. Having met with 
excellent success in business affairs, he is 
now able to spend his remaining days in 
ease and comfort at his pleasant home in 
Dayton, where he has lived for the past 
eleven years. 

Like many of the best citizens of the 
county, Mr. Erickson is a native of Sweden, 
in which country his parents spent their en- 
tire lives. He was born September n, 
1831, ami is ' ne of a family of six chil- 
dren, of whom two died in Sweden. Of 
those living he is the oldest, the others being 
John Olaf and Louisa, both residents of 
Sweden; and August, who now makes his 
home in Dayton township, this county. 

Mr. Erickson was reared and educated 
in In- native land, and in 1856 emigrated to 
America. He took passage at Stockholm 
1 m a sailing' vessel, the Sattell, and after a 



voyage of six weeks' duration landed in 
Xew York. For two years he made his 
home in Chicago while employed as a sailor 
on Lake Michigan. On the 14th of March, 
1S63, he was married at Bishop Hill, Illi- 
nois, to Miss Emma Augusta Xewstrand, 
and they made their home at that place un- 
til coming to Iowa in 1866. Mrs. Erickson 
died while on a visit to Bishop Hill, Oc- 
tober 5, 1884, and was buried there. She 
left five children, namely : Emma, who 
married a Mr. Weistrom, of Denver, Colo- 
tado, and is now deceased; Ida, who is 
teaching in a high school at Butte, Mon- 
tana : Victor, who is married and lives in 
Denison, Texas, where he is employed as 
engineer on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas 
Railroad; Levina, who is teaching school 
at Whitehead, Montana; and Melvin, who 
is now a student in the medical department 
of the State University at Iowa City. Mr. 
Erickson was again married, October 20, 
1886, his second union being with Mrs. 
Anna Peterson. There are no children by 
the second marriage. 

On coming to Webster county in 1866 
Mr. Erickson purchased eighty acres of wild 
land in Dayton township, which he at once 
began to break and place under cultivation, 
and at the same time erected thereon the 
necessarv farm buildings which to-day are 
still standing. As time passed and he pros- 
pered in his farming operations he added 
i'' his property and now owns a fine farm 
of "ne hundred and twenty acres, though 
fi ir the past eleven years he has lived a re- 
tired life in the village of Dayton. When 
he came to the county it was all wild and 
unimproved with exception of the land 
along tlie edge of the timber, and with its 
development and upbuilding he has since 
been identified. 

In 1875 Mr. Erickson was made a Ma- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



343 



son at Ashland Lodge. No. in, of Fort 
Dodge, and is now connected with Oak 
Lodge. No. 531, A. F. & A. M. He at- 
tends the Swedish Methodist church and is 
a supporter of the Democratic party. He 
has served on the school board and filled 
other township offices in a most creditable 
and acceptable manner. 



PERRY MAPES. 



Perry Mapes is a well-known farmer re- 
siding on section 36, Newark township, his 
place being conveniently located within four 
miles of the village of Vincent. He was 
born in Cuyahoga county. Ohio, on the 10th 
of September, 1844. there being but one 
farm between the Mapes homestead and the 
farm on which President Garfield was born 
and reared. 

John 1). Mapes. the father 1 if our subject, 
was born in New York state, in 1S07. and 
was a son of Captain Seth Mapes, also a 
native of the Empire state. The family is 
of Welsh origin and was founded on Long 
Island prior t< 1 the Revolutii -nary war. Our 
subject's grandfather held a captain's com- 
mission in the Xew York militia. As early 
as [814 he removed to Cuyahoga county, 

< >hio, becoming one of the pioneers of that 
locality, and there opened up a farm, on 
which he lived for ten years. He then re- 
tni ved to another farm in the same county, 
which place is still owned and occupied by 
members of the family. John D. Mapes 
grew to manhood in Ohio and there mar- 
ried Miss Henrietta Patchen, a native of 
Xew York, who removed to the Buckeye 
state when a young lady. Her father, Noah 
Patchen, was another of the early settlers 

< 1 Cuyahoga county. After his marriage 



Mr. Mapes made his home in that county 
throughout the remainder of his life, with 
the exception of about three years spent in 
Ashtabula county, his time and attention 
being devoted to agricultural pursuits. He 
died October 8, 1885, but his wife, now in 
her ninety-first year, still survives him and 
continues to reside on the old homestead 
with a daughter. Perry is the sixth in or- 
der of birth in their family of eight chil- 
dren, four sons and four daughters, seven 
of whom reached years of maturity, while 
two sons and three daughters are still liv- 
ing. 

On the old farm in Cuyahoga county, 
Ohio, Perry Mapes passed the days of his 
boyhood and youth, receiving his early ed- 
ucation in the local schools. Later he at- 
tended Willoughby Collegiate Institute and 
Baldwin University. When the country be- 
came involved in civil war, he resolved to 
strike a blow in defense of the Union, and 
on the 1 2th of August. 1862, he enlisted 
for three years, or during the war, in Com- 
pany D. One Hundred and Third Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to 
the Army of the Ohio. He aided the de- 
fense of Cincinnati, and the siege of Knox- 
ville. and later, after an illness, was on de- 
tached duty, serving as telegraph messenger 
in the office of Knoxville for about one 
year. Subsequently he rejoined his com- 
mand and was with Sherman's army in the 
campaign from Goldsboro to Raleigh. 
While en route from Knoxville h G 
bon , he attended the second inauguration 
of President Lincoln. March 4. 1865. On 
rejoining his command he did guard duty 
at General Schofield's headquarters. After 
the surrender 1 E I< hnsti n's arm] to Gen- 
eral Sherman. Mr. Mapes was one of twen- 
ty-five men that accompanied several offi- 
cers from Raleigh to, Greensboro, to receive 



344 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the surrender of the army and property, in- 
cluding the rebel officers, guns, ammuni- 
tion and all the accoutrements of war. The 
war having ended, he was honorably dis- 
charged at Raleigh, North Carolina, June 
i_\ 1865, ail( ' was mustered out of service 
at Cleveland, Ohio. 

Returning to his home Mr. Mapes re- 
sumed his studies and later engaged in 
teaching school in Ohio until 1869, when 
he went to Illinois and followed the same 
pr< fession off and on for twenty-five years, 
in Fulton, Peoria, McLean and Iroquois 
counties. Returning to Cuyahoga county, 
Ohio, he was there married March 20, 
[873, tn .Miss Diana E. Luse. who was burn 
in the same township where her husband's 
birth occurred. Her father, Jesse H. Luse, 
was a native of Trumbull county, Ohio, 
and became a farmer of Cuyahoga county. 
There Airs. Mapes was reared and educat- 
ed, attending first the common schools and 
later Willoughby Collegiate Institute. She. 
too, engaged in teaching school, both 
before and after her marriage. Mr. and 
Mrs. Mapes began "their married life in 
Peoria county, Illinois, where they taught 
sch< ml together for a time. Later they 
1 enn ived t< 1 a farm near Saybrook, Mc- 
Lean county, Illinois, where they made 
their home for about five years. In 
1883 they located on a farm near Gil- 
man, Iroquois county, Illinois, but Mr. 
Mapes left the land to be operated by ten- 
ants while he engaged in school teaching, 
lint finally devoted his attention to carrying 
on the farm. Selling the place in 1895, he 
came to 'Webster county, Iowa, and pur- 
chased the farm where he now resides, tak- 
ing up his residence thereon the following 
year. He now owns one hundred and 
forty-four acres on section 36, Newark 
township, and section 1, Colfax township. 



and is successfully engaged in its operation 
and in stock raising. 

Mr. and Mrs. Mapes have three chil- 
dren : Florence, who is now a student at 
Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa ; and 
Edwin P. and Erwin K.. who are both at- 
tending Tobin College, Fort Dodge, Iowa. 
The family hold membership in the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church, of Vincent, of 
which Mr. Mapes is an official member and 
superintendent of the Sunday-school, hav- 
ing been an active worker in the same for 
many years. Politically he has affiliated 
with the Republican party since he cast his 
first presidential vote for General U. S. 
Grant in 1868, but he has never cared for 
the honors or emoluments of public office. 
Although his residence in Webster county 
is of comparatively short duration, he has 
already made many warm friends and is 
held in high regard by all who know him. 



AUGUST GROSEXP.AUGH. 

August Grosenbaugh, who is now liv- 
ing a retired life in Dayton, Iowa, is a vet- 
eran o<f the Civil war and bears an honorable 
record for brave service in the cause of free- 
dom and union, and in the paths of peace 
he has. also won an enviable reputation 
through the sterling qualities which go to 
the making of a good citizen. 

His early home was in the beautiful land 
of the Alps, for he was born in Switzerland, 
September 24. 1840. his parents being 
Frederick and Magdalene Grosenbaugh, 
who spent their entire lives in that country. 
In their family were eight children, namely: 
Frederick and Edward, wdio are married 
and continue to reside in Switzerland : Au- 
gust, our subject: John, deceased, who mar- 




MR. AND MRS. AUGUST GROSENBAUGH 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



347 



ried Ida Girod, a resident of Wooster, Ohio; 
Mrs. Lizzie Droz, also a resident of that 
place: Anuel. who died in this country at 
the age of twenty-five years: Julius, who 
married Anna Roll and resides in Benton 
county, Iowa; Alcid, who was accidentally 
drowned in the Verdigris river near Coffey- 
ville, Kansas, at the age of twenty years: 
and Louis, who died in Ohio at the age of 
twenty-two years. 

Mr. Grosenbaugh acquired his education 
in the schools of his native land, and in i860 
crossed the broad Atlantic, being the first of 
the family to emigrate. After seventeen 
days spent upon the water he landed in New 
York. Locating in Ohio, he worked on a 
farm in that state until his enlistment in the 
Unii n army during the war of the Rebel- 
lion. On the 15th of August. 1S62, he 
joined Company E. One Hundred and 
Twenty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, un- 
der Captain William L. Dixon and Colonel 
B. F. Smith. As a part of the Second Bri- 
gade. Third Division. Sixth Army Corps, 
the regiment was under the command of 
General Sedg'wick. but at different times it 
was also a member of the Eighth and Third 
Corps. The first engagement in which Mr. 
Grosenbaugh participated was at Martins- 
burg, June 14. 1863. when Company I was 
captured by Lee's army. During the battle 
of the Wilderness. May 6, 1864, he was 
wounded by a piece of flying shell, and also 
taken prisoner, hut managed to escape on 
the 9th of June and rejoined his regiment 
?t Petersburg. He t< ok part in the siege of 
that place from the 27th of March until the 
2d of April. 1865. After the surrender of 
Lee to Grant. April 9, 1865. his regiment 
with the Sixth Corps was ordered to 
Raleigh. Xorth Carolina, to meet Sherman, 
but on reaching- Danville received word of 
Tohnston's surrender and proceeded 110 



further. Mr. Grosenbaugh took pan in the 
grand review at Washington, I). C, June 

15. The war having ended, 1: 
then honorably dischargi imbus, 

< >hio, July 1. [865, and return 
carawas county, that state. 

At Mount Eaton. Ohio. Mr. Grosen- 
baugh was married Septembei 2. [865, I 
Miss Susanna Olmstead, who was born in 
Tuscarawas county. February 17. 1842, 
though of Swiss origin, her parents. Daniel 
and Elizabeth (Ricksicker) Olmstead, be- 
ing natives of Switzerland. Her father 
came to America in 1833 ani ' ner mother 
four or five years later. They first located 
in Stark county, < >hio, whence thev removed 
h Tuscarawas county, and there the father 
engaged in fanning throughout life. In 
their family were ten children, namely: 
Mary, wife of Jacob Intermill, of Jewell 
county, Kansas: Elizabeth, wife of Theo- 
dore Nydegger, who lives on the old home- 
stead in Ohio: Susanna, wife of our sub- 
ject; Frederick, a resident of Mt. Pleasanl 
Michigan, who first married Sevilla Mew- 
maw and second Emma Zingry; Sophia. 
wife of Godfrey Feller, of Jewell county, 
Kansas; Margaret, who died at the age of 
twelve years: Caroline, wife of William 
Putnam, of Stark county, Ohio: Daniel, who 
is married and lives near QLudwig 
Michigan: Joseph, who married Louise 
Ruffer and also resides near Ludwig 
and Amelia, who died at the age of five 
years. 

Of the eight children born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Grosenbaugh, Eloise. the eldest, mar- 
ried Homer Fultz and is successfully en- 
in the practice of medicine in Perry, 
Iowa, while her husband is an engineer on 
the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad: John 
J. married Leota Marsh and is engaged in 
the grain business al Nemaha, Iowa, in con- 



348 THE BIOGR \rilKAI. RECORD. 



uection with \\. Marsh, having buill the energy, is quick of perception, forms his 
first elevatoi al thai place; Lena died al the plans readily and is determined in (heir ex- 
age i i twent) one years; Fred A. is a law ecution, Though he is now known as one 
Nr| "! Fort Dodge; Amanda died al the age of the capitalists of this pari of the state, 
i i two years; Carrie is preparing herself to and is not activel) engaged in business save 
entei the legal profession ; Otille, who was a in the management of his investments, it 
"' iduate oi the I lighland Park ( lollege, I >es was his close application and excellent man- 
Moines, died at the age oi nineteen years; agernenl thai broughl to him the high de 
• nd Minnie also dud al the age O'f nineteen, gree of prosperity which is to day his. No 

1,1 the fall "i [865 Mr. Grosenbaugh re legitimate business can be carried on thai 
moved to Benton county, Iowa, and two does nol prove oi benefil to the community 
yeai latei came to Webster county, where in which ii is located, and the interests of 
In took up a homestead claim oi one nun- Mr. Reynolds have nol only contributed to 
dred mu\ sixty acres, and was successfully his own success but in large measure have 
engaged in agricultural pursuits for man) promoted the commercial activity and con- 
years, and is now living a retired life in sequent prosperity of Fori Dodge. 
Dayton Vs he prospered in business ai Mr. Reynolds is a western man by birth 
fairs in added to his landed possessions and training, and early became imbued with 
from time to nine until he now owns four the progressive spirit which has led to the 
hundred and fiftj seven acres of land in wonderful development of the great district 
Kans, is; ;i quartei ection in Burnside this side of the Mississippi.. His birth oc 
township, this count) ; and a good home in curred near Boonville, Missouri, Decern 
Dayton. Mis political support is given the her 27, [844, and he is a son of S. R. and 
men and measures of the Republican party, V W. (Worley) Reynolds, the former a 
and In 1 ,1 membei oi the Grand \nn\ of native oi Vermont, the latter of Ma sa 
the Republic, while his wife helds member chusetts. In [839 they emigrated west 
ship in the Woman's Relief Corps. The) ward, taking up their abode in Missouri, 
attend the Methi clisl Episcopal church and whence they came to Eowa in [846, aco m 
are people ol the highesl respectability, plishing the entire journe) wjith an ox- 
whosc circle oi friends and acquaintances is team. The) settled in Delaware county, 
extensive. seven miles north of Manchester, where Mr. 
* ' * Reynolds engaged in both farming and 
merchandising. \t that time his nearest 
V S. R. REYNOLDS. neighbor was five miles away and the dis- 
trict was wild and unimproved. He aided 

Honored and respected b) all, there is in removing a band of Indians to a reserva 

iiH man in Fort Dodge who occupies a more tion furthei west; wild game of various 

enviable position in commercial and linan kinds abounded, and there were few evi- 

1i.1l circles than A. S. R. Reynolds, nol dences of the fact thai civilization had 

1 on accounl of the brilliant success he taken rool in this then wild western dis- 

has achieved bu1 also on accounl of the hon- trict. A tract of wild prairie obtained from 

orable, straightforward business policy he the government was transformed into a 

hat ever followed He possesses untiring fine farm 1>\ \h Reynolds and thereon ho 



'I ill. BIOGRAPHK i )RD. 






remained until about fivi At 

ame time he i arried on men hai i 
going to Dubuque, a distance of thirt) 
■\ here he would pun ha e a mall 
of goods, n ing an • 
to In- home distri* i, wl i 
pi ed of them to his neighboi . \l.ont five 
ago he retired 
o maki ■ 

who lives fi nr miles north of the i 
family homestead in Delaware county. He 

bi rn Augusl 4, 181 1, and still 1 
good health, although hi 
failed somewhat. II an ac 

• '1 to his bu 
ind the faithful performanc 

ip, and in his de< lining 
1 
whicl 
has been an honorable one through many 

His wife, who was born Septi 
1-'. 1. Si 7. dq>arted this lifi 

twelve children, of whom six are living: 

who married I. ' , 
and lives in Dela R, |j., 

i" the 

Erne 1 II. and Elihu II.. 

are living in Buchanan 

Mr 

pending his boyhood 
tber on the farm and in his 

when, aroi 1 
spirit of patrioti 

ing south, Imt I 

the Indian , t u, 

the frontier to quell the uprising of tl • 
men and protect the front • ,' rom 

their attacl -I,.,,! 



1 taking placi at T; I 
land oi the dee,. '| he troop 1 
tin Indian \ about Eon 

Li ■ ■ hou and tndian 

idred whiti 
ti d until d.-nk and the 
arm) encamped on the field, but th< 

eni bai 
1 thi ■. had left I • ipply train. 

W'lni' mj .Mi. Ri lartici- 

continued in the [ndi; 

1 ity, in October, 
1 1« ■■■< dis< barged and paid off at 1 1 
port, and [( ,,n the \ irgin 

prairii 

'I he following account the 

n from the 
1 ■ 17, 1901, will 
erest. 

the relief part;. j n t |„ : 

"In the ummer 1 leneral 

Sully and ' , rdered out 

to 1I1. . an( j 

captlin Indian-. 

1 ed from the east and 
al Sully came up thi 
Fort Piei 
point line that n 

the division of I 

rd and advanced to the hill 
-liinie the divide ■ and 

ing. General Sul 

dajor House, with tl 
and remaii 1 



35° 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



small command turned the corner of a sharp 
hill and found itself within a few yards of 
the Indian village, which contained many 
thousand men. women and children. To 
attack this force alone meant annihilation, 
and besides, was against orders, and to re- 
treat was equally impossible, as it would 
draw the whole tribe upon them. The only 
thing, then, that could lie dune was to send 
La Tramheau. the half-breed scout, back to 
camp to inform Sully of their situation and 
trust to Sully's ability to reach them before 
dark. Major House's command was at this 
time about twelve miles east of General 
Sully's camp, and the sun was settling low 
toward the west. The Indians knew their 
advantage over the soldiers, and while si m< 
of the young bloods wanted to finish them 
at once, the older men counseled them to 
wait until the darkness, when it would lie 
more complete, as the soldiers knew noth- 
ing of the country and. could not escape 
them. The Indians at this time supposed 
that this four hundred men were all there 
was. The Indians were confident of the 
ultimate outcome, and walked about the 
o immand at a short distance, and even par- 
leyed among themselves as to which should 
have this horse or that, as the fancy hap- 
pened to strike them. They jeered and 
mocked at the soldiers, and held up both 
hands pointing at one of the soldiers to sig- 
nify that they were ten to one. The sol- 
diers agreed that when the chances for res- 
cue before dark were gone they would fight 
and sell their lives as dearly as possible. 
As the sun neared the horizon the Indians 
began to prepare for their bloody work, and 
the soldiers began to shake hands and bid 
their comrades goodbye, as there would be 
no quarter given or taken. At this time 
the second and third battalions of the Iowa 
regiment came up behind the first battalion 



and then everything was confusion in the 
Indian village, the old men. women and 
children began to cut down the tepees and 
break camp. The joy of the rescued bat- 
tallion can better he imagined than told. 
As soon as their comrades reached them 
they immediately began to attack and drove 
the Sioux before them over the hill and 
down into a small draw, when the Ne- 
braska regiment appeared on the hill in 
front of them and they turned with despera- 
tion upon the Iowa cavalry, and for half 
an hour one of the most desperate battles of 
the western frontier ensued. At length 
the Indians discovered a weak point in the 
Mile line. They cut everything loose from 
their horses and escaped into the darkness. 
General Sully captured everything they 
had. clothing, food and camp equipage, be- 
sides one hundred and seventy-five old men, 
women and children." 

Returning to his home in Delaware 
county. Mr. Reynolds was engaged in chop- 
ping cord wood and splitting rails for two 
years. In 1(869 ' ie accepted a position as 
clerk in a general store at Earlville, Dela- 
ware county, where he remained for three 
years, after which he was employed in a 
similar capacity in another store. On the 
24th of February, 1872, he came to Fort 
Dodge, and with the capital he had ac- 
quired through his own exertions he pur- 
chased a grocery store at 523 Central av- 
enue, which he conducted for one year and 
a half. He then erected a building at 521 
Centra] avenue and continued in the same 
nine years, when he moved into the Rey- 
nolds block and for eleven and a half years 
conducted the store in that part, where the 
Commercial National Bank is now located. 
He remained in that line of business for 
twenty-two years, during which time his 
patronage constantly increased as the result 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



35i 



of his enterprise, capable management and 
earnest desire to please his patrons, coupled 
with business methods that were above re- 
proach. In 1894 he disposed of bis store 
ami lias since given his attention to the 
management of his property interests, fi r 
as the years have gone by he has made \\ ise 
and extensive investments in real estate. In 
188] he built the Reynolds block, at the 
corner of Central avenue and Seventh street 
— a bank, store and office building with a 
Masonic hall on the third floor. The build- 
ing has a frontage of forty-nine feet, with 
E depth of one hundred and forty feet, and is 
three stories in height with basement. It 
was the first building of any importance 
erected east of Sixth street, now Seventh 
street, but now the court house, one of the 
finest in the state, stands opposite the Rey- 
nolds block. He also erected another 
building at the corner of Ninth street and 
First avenue, north, and these stand as 
monuments of his enterprise, — the visible 
proof of his life of business activity. 

On the 6th of February, 1872, Mr. Rey- 
nolds was united in marriage to Miss M. 
F. Wilkenson, a native of Indiana and a 
daughter of George Wilkenson, who was 
an early settler of Fort Dodge, where his 
widow still resides. Mr. and Mrs. Rey- 
it iil> have one son, Lewis M., now a mem- 
ber of the Fort Dodge fire department. He 
has also been connected with the American 
Express Company, also served as clerk in 
the post office for a time. 

Mr. Reynolds has never taken an active 
part in politics aside from voting, his sup- 
port being given to the men and measures 
of the Republican party. He has served 
on the school board for fourteen years, and 
the cause of education has found in him a 
warm friend, ready and willing to institute 
improved methods that will lead to practical 



results in the schoolroom. Socially he is 
o limited with the Masonic fraternity. In 
[870 lie was initiated into the order and is 
a charter member of Earlville Lodge. Such 
in brief is the history of one who ranks 
prominent among the most successful men 
of litis section of the state, and his life 
demonstrates the possibilities of accom- 
plishment in this land where caste or class 
do not hamper ambition and ability. Stead- 
ily he has advanced, and his energy, de- 
termination and straightforward business 
methods have enabled him to meet compe- 
tition and secure a liberal patronage, which 
has brought to him success. 



DAVID RISK. 



This well-known citizen of Fort Dodge, 
residing at 1522 Third avenue, south, was 
born in Cleveland, Ohio, on the 4th of Au- 
gust, 1843, his parents being James and 
Mary Ann (Everett) Risk, the former a 
native of Ireland, and the latter of Bucks 
ci unity. Pennsylvania. They had two other 
children : A. C, who is now prospecting 
in the Rocky mountains ; and Mary Eliza- 
beth, who died in Michigan. On leaving 
Cleveland, Ohio, in 1852, the family re- 
moved to Racine, Wisconsin, and resided 
there until 1865, when they went to Wilton, 
Minnesota, but the following year came to 
Iowa, and took up their residence on a farm 
in Deer Creek township, Webster county. 
After following farming for some years the 
father is now living a retired life in Fort 
Dodge, enjoying a well-earned rest. 

David Risk completed his education in 
the schools of Burlington. Wisconsin, then 
engaged in teaching school for two winters 
in that state and one winter in Minnesota 



352 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



during the residence of the family in that 
state. After coming to Iowa he followed 
the same pursuit in Webster county during 
the winter months, while the summer sea- 
sons were devoted to farming for some 
years. He was secretary of the teachers' 
i rganization in this county for a number 
of years. 

In 1871 Mr. Risk was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Mary J. Haviland, a 
daughter of David and Cecelia (Wood) 
Haviland, who were natives of New York, 
the Haviland family being founded in 
Dutchess county, that state, at an early date. 
After residing in Princeton, Bureau coun- 
ty. Illinois, for some time Mrs. Risk's par- 
ents came to Webster county, Iowa, in 1854, 
and bought a tract of government land. 
Mr. Haviland was prominently identified 
with the early development of that county. 
In his family were ten children, four sons 
and six daughters. Prior to her marriage 
Mrs. Risk was a successful teacher, and 
taught a number of terms in Fort Dodge. 
Our subject and his wife have two chil- 
dren : Ida is the wife of W. S. Johnson, 
and they now reside in Brisbane. Australia. 
Lyle, the younger daughter, is engaged in 
teaching school in Deer Creek township, 
this county. 

Mr. Risk remained upon the farm, 
which adjoined that of his father's, and en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits until 1881. 
In that year he rented his farm and re- 
■ d to Janesville, Wisconsin, where he 
took up the study of telegraphy and later 
entered the employ of the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railroad as station agent at 
Amiret, Minnesota, where he remained un- 
til 1883. He then returned to Webster 
county and resumed fanning, continuing at 
that occupation until 1891, when he re- 
moved to Cowrie, where he carried on busi- 



ness as a hardware dealer for two years. 
He next spent six years at Grand Junction, 
Colorado, engaged in the fruit business, 
and at the end of that time returned to Fort 
Dodge, where he has since made his home. 
He was a charter member of the Iowa 
Legion of Honor, and secretary of the 
Webster Grange for a time. 

Up to 1883 Mr. Risk was a supporter 
of the Democratic party, but in that vear 
he changed to the Republican party, which 
organization he adhered to until 1896, since 
which time he has voted independent of 
party lines. He is widely and favorably 
known throughout the county where much 
of his life has been passed, and those who 
know him best are numbered among his 
warmest friends. 



BENJAMIN GRAYSON. 

Among the old and honored residents 
of Fort Dodge is numbered Benjamin Gray- 
son, who is a native of the old Dominion, 
his birth having occurred in Loudoun 
countw Virginia, October 27, 1833. His 
parents were Richard O. and Margaret 
( Fitzhugh) Grayson, both representatives 
of old and distinguished families of that 
state. The father, who was a large land- 
owner, died in Virginia, when about fi irty 
years of age, and the mother when fi »rty- 
one. In their family were six children, 
namely: Ann, wife of Colonel Fitzhugh, 
of Staunton, Virginia; Mary, wife of Rev. 
E. H. Harlow, of Washington. D. C. ; Ben- 
jamin, our subject; T. F., a resident of 
Fort Dodge: Richard O.. who was killed 
in the Civil war: and Helen, who died in 
infancy. 

The subject of this review was prin- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



353 



cipally reared and educated in his native 
county. He attended an academy at Lees- 
burg, Virginia, and also the mathematical 
school at Alexandria, that state, where he 
took a cour.se in mathematics and civil en- 
gineering. Leaving home in 1853. at the 
age of twenty years, he went to Missouri, 
and at St. Louis became connected with a 
civil engineer who had in charge the con- 
struction of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Rail- 
mad, and who appointed Mr. Grayson as 
superintendent of the building of the road 
aliing the first twenty-five miles cast of St. 
Joseph. He was thus employed until the sus- 
pension nt the work, when he came to Fort 
Dodge, October 1, 1855, as a civil engineer 
in locating land warrants. He also acted 
as agent for several eastern land agencies, 
and is to-day well known among the ex- 
tensive land owners of Iowa. 

On the 27th of October, 1858. Mr. 
Grayson married Miss Nannie S. Rhodes, 
also a native of Loudoun county. \ "irginia, 
and a daughter of Captain H. H. Rhodes, 
of the United States navy, now deceased. 
Of the eight children born of this union, 
four are still living, namely: Marion, a 
resident of Hartford, Connecticut; Rich- 
ard, a lumberman of Seattle, Washington; 
and Benjamin and Robert, both residents 
nl'l >es Mi lines, L iwa. 

When Mr. Grayson came to Fort 
Dodge there was not a settlement between 
this city and Sioux City, and those early 
days were fraught with considerable pio- 
neer experience. He served as assistant 
paymaster in the Federal army for a time, 
returning to Fort Dodge in 1804. since 
which time he has made his home uninter- 
ruptedly here. He was made a Mason in 
1858, being the first man initiated into the 
lodge at this place. Religiously he is a 
member of the Episcopal church. Mr. 



I rrayson has made for himself an honorable 
reo nl m business, as a citizen, friend and 
neighbor he is true to ever) duty, and justly 
merits the esteem in which he is held. 



J( Ml AX AXDERSOX. 

For several years this gentleman was 
one of the leading farmers of Webster 
county, but having retired from active 
labor, he now makes his home in Dayton, 
where he is surrounded by all the comforts 
which makes life worth the living. Like 
many of the best citizens of the count}', he 
is a native of Sweden, his birth having oc- 
curred in that country. August 14. 1828. 
There his parents, Anders and Hakanson 
(Britta) Anderson, spent their entire lives. 
In their family were six children, of whom 
three remained in Sweden and the others 
came to America, namely: Christina, now 
the widow of Charles Anderson and a resi- 
dent of Sweden: Charley, who is married 
and also lives in that country; Julian, our 
subject; .Marx, wile of Joseph Freeburg, a 
farmer of Dayton township, this county; 
Andrew, who died in Sweden: and Char- 
lotte, wife of Swan Nelson, of Wapello 
county, Iowa. 

Johan Anderson received his education 

at his mother's knee, and grew to manli 1 

in his native land. There he was married 
on the 5th of November, 1863. to Miss 
Hannah Nelson, who was born in Sweden. 
November 11, 1S37, a daughter of Xels and 
Helena Peterson. Her parents came to 
America i,n 1881 and made their home with 
our subject, where the father died May 7, 
1888. and the mother January 24. 1901. 
Their children were Lizzie, wife of John 
Anders, m, of Webster county; Anna, wife 



354 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of August Schultz, a farmer of Dayton 
township; Hannah, wife of our subject; 
Christina, whi i married Otto Anderson, but 
both are now deceased; Peter, who is mar- 
ried and lives on a farm near Dayton ; and 
Charles, who is also married and lives near 
Dayton. Of the seven children born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson only one is now 
living, Hulda, who is the wife of Rev. J. 
E. Rydback, now of Stanton, Iowa, and has 
four children, Theodore, Alfhild, Eveline 
and Linnea. 

In 1864, the year following their mar- 
riage, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson emigrated 
to America, and first located in Andover, 
Henry county, Illinois, where they spent six 
years on a rented farm. At the end of that 
period they came to Webster county, Iowa, 
where he purchased two hundred and forty 
acres of land, which he still owns. To the 
cultivation and improvement of that place 
he devoted his energies until 1889, when he 
removed to Dayton, and has since lived a 
retired life. Besides his valuable farm he 
owns a good home in Dayton, all of which 
propertv has been acquired through his own 
well directed efforts. Industrious, enter- 
prising and progressive, he met with suc- 
cess in his farming operations and is to- 
day quite well-to-do. Politically he is 
identified with the Republican party, and 
religiously both he and his estimable wife 
are members of the Swedish Evangelical 
Lutheran church. 



GEORGE MUSBURGER. 

Since the spring of 1888 this gentleman 
has been prominently identified with the 
agricultural interests of Webster county, 
and is now the owner of a well-improved 



and valuable farm of three hundred and 
twenty acres on sections 25 and 36, Newark 
township. A native of Ohio, he was born 
near Cincinnati, Hamilton county, June 18, 
1844. a son of John G. and Lizzie Muv 
burger. The father was born and reared in 
Germany, and on coming to America when 
a young man he located in Hamilton coun- 
ty, Ohio, where he followed, farming 
throughout the remainder of his life. There 
he was married, and to himself and wife 
were born four children, our subject being 
the only son. His sisters were Barbara, 
wife of Charles Bastian, who was formerly 
a resident of Webster county, Iowa, but 
now lives in Oklahoma; Lizzie, wife of 
James Birtwell. of La Salle county, Illinois; 
and Mary, wife of a Mr. Burkhart. The 
parents both died of cholera in 185 1, within 
twenty-lour hours of each other. 

Thus our subject was left an orphan at 
an early age and was reared by strangers, 
being forced to endure many hardships and 
privations and having but limited school 
privileges. He spent a part of his boyhood 
and youth mi a farm in Ohio, and the re- 
mainder in the city of Cincinnati. Coming" 
west in 1858, he first located in La Salle 
county. Illinois, where he worked on a farm 
by the month until after the breaking out of 
the Civil war. Feeling that his country 
needed his services, be enlisted on the 14th 
of August, 1862, for three years or during 
the war, and became a member of Company 
F, One Hundred and Fourth Illinois Volun- 
teer Infantry, which was assigned to the 
Army of the Cumberland. His first engage- 
ment was the battle of Hartsville, Tennes- 
see, followed by the battles of Lookout 
Mountain, Buzzard's Roost, Chattanooga, 
Resaca, Marietta and Peach Tree Creek. 
During the last named engagement Mr. 
Musburger received a gunshot through the 




GEORGE MUSBURGER 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



357 



right shoulder, and was disabled for some 
tune. He was at first confined in the hos- 
pital at Chattanooga, but was later taken to 
Nashville, from there to Louisville, then to 
Evansville, Indiana, and still later to 
Ouincy, Illinois. Having partially recov- 
ered, he rejoined his regiment at Washing- 
ton, D. C, and from that city was sent to 
Chicago, where he was honorably dis- 
charged on the 1 6th of June, 1865, the war 
li,i\ ing ended. He then returned home, and 
for three years worked on a farm. 

On the 28th of December, [869, in La 
Salle county, Illinois, Mr. Musburger was 
united in marriage with Miss Sarah S. 
Wakey, a native of that county and a daugh- 
ter of William and Elizabeth Wakey. By 
tins union were born four children, namely: 
(1) George W., born October 7. 1S70, is 
now engaged in business in Fort Collins, 
Colorado, lie is married and has two 
daughters, Velma M. and Zeta P. (2) I [ar- 
rison J., born July 13, 1872, is now op- 
erating the home farm. He is man ied and 
has four children, Mabel O., Vernon J., 
Roy F. and Elmer C. (3) Milo, horn July 
<,. [881, is also at home. (4) Lloyd E., 
born October 27, 1890, is attending the 
home school. 

For about five years after his marriage 
Mr. Musburger was engaged in farming on 
rented land, and then bought one hundred 
and sixteen acres in La Salle county. Illi- 
nois, to the further improvement and culti- 
vation of which he devoted his energies For 
some years. He also added to- it from time 
to time until he had two hundred and forty 
acres, but sold that place in -1888 on his re- 
moval to Iowa. Locating in Webster coun- 
ty, he purchased a partially improved place 
of two hundred and forty acres in Newark 
township, and has since bought an adjoin- 
ing eighty-acre tract. He has since built a 



good and substantial residence and outbuild- 
ings, has set out shade trees, and to da 
one of the most desirable farms of its size in 
the county. In connection with general 
farming he is engaged in stock raising and 
has met with well-deserved success in all his 
undertakings. His prosperity is due to his 
indefatigable labor, enterprise and good 
management, as well as the assistance of 
his estimable wife, who has indeed proved a 
true helpmate to him. 

Politically Mr. Musburger has been a 
life long Republican and cast his first presi- 
dential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1864. 
He and his wife attend the Methodist Epis- 
copal church, having been reared in that 
faith, and the}- are among the most highly 
respected and honored citizens of their 
community, their circle of friends being 1 inly 
limited by their circle of acquaintances. 



HENRY CARR. 



Henry Carr, one of Dayton's most pros- 
perous and influential citizens, was born on 
the 10th of December, 1833, in the Shen- 
andoah valley, his birthplace being near 
Newmarket, in Rockingham county, Vir- 
ginia. His parents, Samuel and Sarah 
( Miley) Carr, were natives of the same 
county, and continued to reside there until 
1837, when the)- removed to Jacksonburg, 
Indiana, where they made their home until 
called to> their final rest, the mother dying 
in 1886, and the father in 1893. He was a 
blacksmith by trade. 

Our subject is the second in a family 
of eleven children, of whom the eldest died 
in infancy. The following- reached years 
of maturity: John, who married Sarah 
Tlarless and lives in Mills county, Iowa; 
Joseph, a resident of Wayne county, In- 



358 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



diana, who first married Josephine and, sec- 
ond, Elmira Pike, both now deceased; 
Elizabeth, wife of William J. Cook, of 
Henry county, Indiana; Amanda, widow of 
J. C. White and a resident of Wayne Coun- 
ty. Indiana; and Lewis R., who died Au- 
gust 27, 1901, in Henry county, Indiana. 

Dtiring his boyhood Henry Carr pur- 
sued his education in a log school house at 
Jacksonburg, Wayne county. Indiana, the 
door of which structure was made of rough 
slabs and the furniture was of a primitive 
sort. After the completion of his education 
at the age of twenty years, he remained 
in Indiana until J S 5 5 , and then came to 
Webster count)-, Iowa, where he entered 
one hundred and sixty acres of government 
land, at the same time buying eighty acres 
in Wayne county, this state. He then re- 
turned to Indiana, where he continued to 
make his home until 1869. 

In the meantime Mr. Carr was married 
in 1859, at Corydon, Iowa, to Miss Havana 
Niday, who was born near Ironton, Ohio, 
in i8_)0, and was a daughter of John and 
Sarah (Harless) Niday, both natives of 
Virginia. Pier parents were married in 
Lawrence county. Ohio, and from there re- 
moved to Mahaska county, Iowa, where 
they spent three years, the remainder of 
their lives being passed in Wayne county, 
this state. Of their twelve children onl) 
one is now living. Minerva, of William 
Houser, of Putnam county, Missouri. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Carr were born the 
following children: ( 1 ) Mary died at the 
age of fifteen years. (2) John W., who is 
now engaged in the practice of law in 
Lincoln. Nebraska, married Helen Lilliard 
and has two children, Ida and Frances. 
(3) Ellen married J. S. Schick, of Promise 
City. Wayne county, Iowa, who died, leav- 
ing four children: Warner. Earl. Jay and 



Marvin. Mrs. Schick now lives with her 
father in Dayton. (4) Cora is the wife of 
Levi G. Ritchie, living near Dell Rapids, 
South Dakota, and they have two children: 
Vincent and Lulu. (5) Viola married j. 
N. Le Valley and died in August, 1896, 
leaving one child, Frances. (6) Lulu is the 
wife of Judd X. Le Valley, of Dayton, and 
they have one child, Helen Janette. (7) 
Etta is the wife of William T. Swanson, 
who lives on a farm northwest of Dayton, 
and they have one son, Glenn. Mrs. Can- 
died in Dayton, on the 23d of April, 1891, 
leaving many friends, as well as her im- 
mediate family, to mourn her loss. 

In 1883 Mr. Carr located upon the 
land in Dayton township, Webster county. 
which he had entered from the government 
in 1855, and still owns one hundred and 
seventeen acres, which is now under a high 
state of cultivation and quite valuable. For 
some years he has been engaged in buying 
and shipping stock, and in partnership with 
X. J. Minnis does business at Dayton un- 
der the firm name of Carr & Company, 
dealers in live stock, grain, hay, oil meal, 
buggies and wagons. In business affairs 
he has steadily prospered, being energetic, 
enterprising and industrious, and is to-day 
quite well-to-do. He is a stockholder in 
the Business Men's Building & Loan As- 
sociation, of Marshalltown, Iowa, the Day- 
ton Investment Company and the First 
National Bank, of Dayton, and is one 
of the representative and prominent busi- 
ness men of the town. Socially he is a 
member of' Oak Lodge, No. 531, A. F. & 
A. M.. and politically is identified with the 
Democratic party. He has served as jus- 
tice of the peace several terms and was 
thoroughly impartial in meting out justice, 
his opinions being unbiased by either fear 
or favor. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



359 



J. M. MULRONEY. 

J. M. Mulronej is now living a retired 
life, but for many years he was an active 
facti r in business circles in Webster coun- 
ty. He possessed an enterprising and pro- 
gressive spirit, which lias ever dominated 
the west and which has led to its rapid and 
wonderful development. His efforts were 
of that particular nature that contributed 
t' i the general good as well as his individual 
prosperity, and thus has one of the lead- 
ing and valued representative citizens of 
tlu> community made his name worth}' of 
hi norable mention in this history. 

Mr. Mulroney is a native of the Em- 
erald Isle and the sterling qualities of the. 
--His of Ireland are noticeable in his career. 
He was born November 11. 1832, and is a 
son of Patrick Mulroney, who, with his 
family, crossed the broad Atlantic to Amer- 
ica when our subject was a youth of thir- 
teen years. They located at Williamsburg. 
Xew York, where they resided some years. 
In about 1859 the mother and one daugh- 
ter came west, the father having passed 
away at Trenton, Xew Jersey, where he 
was stopping for a few days, attending to 
business affairs. 

Air. Mulroney remained at Williams- 
burg for about three years as a student in 
the schools of that place. He also spent 
c ne year as an employe in a blacksmith 
shop and then went to Connecticut, where 
fur two years he was variously employed, 
doing service upon the farm, at railroading 
and in the lumber woods. In 1849 l le 
turned his face toward the setting sun and 
by lake, canal and stage traveled to Min- 
eral Point, Wisconsin, where he had rela- 
tives living. For a year he was in partner- 
ship with three others on a flatboat on the 
Mississippi river, getting out and selling 



cedar posts and pickets. The following 
spring. [851, he was attracted by the dis- 
covery of gold on the Pacific slope. In or- 
der to reach the gold fields he was obliged 
to i\turn to New York, where he took pas- 
sage on" an ocean steamer and by way of 
the Nicaragua route proceeded to the [ 
en state, where he engaged in mining, 
searching for the precious metal. He also 
ran a mercantile business in connection 
with mining. He remained in California 
until 1857, at a place then known as Soda- 
I ar. The company with which he was as- 
si dated also nut a pack train, which was 
the only way of transporting goods at that 
time. The freight rate was eight cents 
per pound when the train was first estab- 
1 acted as postmaster, hav- 

ing charge of the mail, for which he re- 
ceived no compensation for his work. He 
likewise acted as claim recorder and was 
a prominent factor in those early days in 
California when many men of resolute 
spirit, string principles and honorable life 
sought wealth there, but when also many 
men of dishonest motives attempted to 
trol the settlements and make money in 
any way possible. Mr. Mulroney can re- 
late many interesting incidents in the early 
days when lynch law governed that region, 
for it was the only method which the citi- 
zens of worth could use in dealing with the 
desperate characters that infested Califor- 
nia. 

At length returning to Philadelphia, 
Mr. Mulroney there disposed of his gold 
dust in 1857. and after spending a few 
weeks in that city again made his way to 
Wisconsin, hut shortly afterwards became 
a resident of Iowa, settling in that pi rtion 
of the state now comprised within the 
boundary of Palo Alto county. At the first 
election, in 1858. when the organization of 



360 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the county took place, he was elected treas- 
urer and recorder, serving for nine years, 
and during that time he also conducted a 
cattle ranch. He filled the position of jus- 
tice of the peace at a time when there were 
fifty-seven voters in Palo Alto county, and 
was also postmaster, the office being in his 
own home and named Sodabar. The offices 
of the treasurer and recorder were also in 
his home. He was a member of the rescue 
party at the time of the Jackson massacre. 
So far west upon the frontier, however, was 
Irs home, that all kinds of experiences were 
ic be endured and the conditions of life 
were primitive. The settlers wore buffalo 
moccasins, lived in log cabins and provided 
nearly everything which was needed for 
use in the home and upon the farms, \->\- 
railroad communication had not yet 
brought the comforts known to the older 
east. For several years Mr. Mulrony con- 
ducted his cattle ranch and then in 1865 
traded cattle for a good mercantile business 
at Fort Dodge, thus becoming a partner 
of R. P. Furlong, the store being located 
where the firm of Mulroney Manufactur- 
ing Company is now situated. A wooden 
building stood there at the time he entered 
the mercantile business, but it has long 
since been replaced - by a splendid brick 
structure. When ten years had passed Mr. 
Mulroney purchased his partner's interest 
and conducted the business alone until he 
lurried it over to his sons, and now he is 
practically living a retired life, on account 
of lis health. He is, however, associated 
with some of the financial concerns of the 
county, being at present vice-president of 
the First National Bank. He was also in- 
terested in the building of the Minneapolis 
& St. Louis Railroad, and in the construc- 
tion of the Mason City & Fort Dodge Rail- 
road, taking a contract for the work on the 



latter line, as a member of the firm of Mul- 
roney, Furlong & London. 

In 1858, in Palo Alto county, Mr. Mul- 
roney was united in marriage to Miss Jane 
Evans, a daughter of Jeremiah Evans, a 
native of Ohio, who came to Iowa at a 
very early date and spent his remaining 
days in Palo Alto county. Unto Mr. and 
Mrs. Mulroney were born the following 
children: Mary, now the wife of Ed 
O'Connell, of Bloomington, Illinois; John, 
deceased, who was a real estate dealer of 
Fort Dodge ; Kyran, who is supposed to 
be in the west; Will, Joseph and Louis, 
who are associated in business at Fort 
Dodge; Charles, a physician on the revenue 
cutter stationed in Alaska during the win- 
ters of 1901 and 1902; Edward, an attor- 
ney of Missoula, Montana; and Josephine. 
The mother died in 1882 and Mr. Mulroney 
afterward married Miss Hannah Eugenie 
Byrne, of Fort Dodge, by whom he has two 
sons, Frank and Robert. 

Such in brief is the history of one whose 
identification with AVebster county, Iowa,. 
dates from the period of its early settle- 
ment. He has witnessed almost the entire 
growth and development of this part of 
the state, and has contributed in a large 
measure to its progress, and at all times has 
manifested a loyal and patriotic spirit in 
behalf of his adopted land. In business he 
has ever maintained an unsullied reputation 
for straightforward dealing, and the circle 
1 if his friends is almost co-extensive with 
the circle of his acquaintances. 



ALBERT M. HOUGE. 

This well-known agriculturist, residing 
on section 5, Badger township, owns and 
operates an excellent farm of two hundred 
and forty acres, which he has placed under 




JOHN J. HOUGE 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



363 



a high state of cultivation. I [e was In rn on 
the 19th of April, 1855, m Dane county, 
Wisconsin, and is a son 1 E John J. and 
Karen S. Houge, of whom extended men- 
tion is made in the sketch of Carl J. Houge 
on am ther page 1 f this v< lume. 

In 1868 our subject accompanied his 
parents on their removal to Webster coun- 
ty, Iowa, and here he grew to manhi • 6 
amid rural surroundings. He pursued his 
studies in the 1( cal schools, and aided in the 
work of the It me farm until twent 
years of age, when he started 1 ut to make 
his own way in the world. His life has 
been devoted to farming, and in that pur- 
suit he has met with excellent success, as he 
uglily understands all the duties which 
fall to the lot of the agriculturist. 

On the nth of November, 1 S 7 - . in this 
county, Mr. Houge married Miss Caroline 
Sampson, a native of Livingston county, 
Illinois, and a daughter of Peter Sam] 
who came to this country from Norway and 
after spending some years in the Prairie 
state removed to Webster county, Iowa, in 
[867. being one of the early settlers of 
Badger township, where he fi llowed farm- 
ing throughout the remainder of his life. 
During the dark days of the Civil war he 
joined an Illinois regiment and was in the 
service three years. He died in this county 
about 1872. He had three children : Caro- 
line, wife of our subject; Sarah, wife of 
II. C. Swanson, of Badger township; and 
Lewis, who died at the age of nine years. 
Mr. and Mrs. Houge have a family of nine 
children, namely: Carl J., Louis P., Will- 
iam B., Agnes S.. Clarence M.. Bessie S., 
John J. and Peter G., twins; and Alvin H. 
All are at home with exception of Carl J. 
and Louis P., who are now earning their 
own living. 

Mr. and Mrs. Houge began their domes- 



tic life 1 11 the farm where they still reside, 
and after renting it for several years was 
given the place as his share of his father's 
estate. It consisted of 1 ne hundred and 
sixty acres on section 5, Badger township, 
but he also has an adjoining eighty-acre 
tract i n sectii n 4. He has tiled and fenced 
the entire aim unt, and set out fruit and 
ornamental trees, has built a neat residence 
and good barns and 1 utbuildings, and now 
has a well-improved farm supplied with all 
the accessories and conveniences found 
upon a m< del farm of the present century. 
He is engaged in the breeding and raising 
of cattle, sheep and hogs for market, and in> 
this branch of his business he has also pros- 
pered. 

The Republican party has alwa\ - 
in Mr. Houge a stanch supporter of its 
principles since he cast his first presidential 
vote for Rutherfi rd B. Hayes in 1876, and 
he has taken quite an active part in local 
politics, serving as township trustee two 
terms: supervisor of highways several 
years, while he is now a member of the 
board. He has been a delegate to 
numen us a unty conventii ns 1 f his party, 
and his public duties have always been most 
conscientii msly discharged. 



CHARLES J. SCHILL. 

Charles J. Schill, "um- 

bered among the most active and enterpris- 
ing farmers of DaytOn township 
twenty years, and was living on his farm 
at the time of his death, which occurred 
February 6, [895. He was born in Elf- 
berg, Sweden, 1 n the tsl of May. 1844, a 
son of Charles M. and Eliza Schill. who 
brought their family to the new world in 



364 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



1862, landing in New York. They were 
on the Atlantic ocean for thirteen weeks, 
and came very nearly starving the last few 
days. After spending two years in Mercer 
county, Illinois, they removed to Hamilton 
county, Iowa, where the father purchased 
a tract of land and improved a farm. In 
1870 he came to Dayton and is now living 
with his danghtcr. Mrs. Hedlund, at this 
place, his wife having died here in 1890. 
They were the parents of six children, of 
whom three are still living, namely : Chris- 
tine L., widow of John L. Hedlund, and a 
resident of Dayton; Frank G., who married 
Caroline Johnson and lives on a farm in 
Lost Grove township; and Gustave A., who 
married Ida Hall and resides in Fort 
Dodge. 

Charles J. Schill, whose name intro- 
duces this sketch, had but little opportu- 
nity to attend the schools of his native land. 
He was eighteen years of age on the emi- 
gration of the family to America, and re- 
mained with his parents in Illinois until he 
entered the arm} - . On the 1st of February, 
1864, at Galesburg, he enlisted in Company 
!., Fourteenth Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, 
under the command of Captain X. X. Bur- 
pee and Colonels H. Capron and F. M. 
Davidson. He was mustered into the 
United States service on the 24th of the 
same month, and the regiment was as- 
signed to Stoneman's Division Cavalry 
G rps, Army of the Cumberland, under 
General Thomas. Mr. Schill's arm was 
broken in an accident at Pulaski, Tennes- 
see, caused by a derailed train, and he was 
confined in the hospital for some time. 
After his recovery he assisted in the care 
of others for a while, but desiring more 
active service he was released, and took part 
in several engagements. At the close of 
the war he was honorably discharged at 



Pulaski, July 31, 1865, and mustered out 
on the 4th of August. 

Mr. Schill then joined his parents in 
Mercer county, Illinois, and shortly after- 
ward removed with the family to Hamilton 
county, Iowa. He was married July 2, 
1870, to Miss Elizabeth Cannon, of Hardin 
township, Webster county, who was born in 
Ljusdahl Helsingland, Sweden, September 
18, 1848, a daughter of Peter and Chris- 
tine Cannon. Her family came to America 
in 1854 on the sailing vessel Magda, and 
after six weeks spent upon the water landed 
in Xew York, whence they proceeded to 
Mercer count}-, Illinois, locating near Xew 
Boston. In 1861 they came to Webster 
count} - , Iowa, by team and covered wagon, 
there being no railroad at that time any 
nearer than Iowa City. There were few 
settlements this side of Marshalltown. and 
they would often travel all day long with- 
out seeing a house. Webster county was 
very sparsely settled and only a very few 
families were living in Hardin township 
when they located there. Mr. Cannon pre- 
empted a quarter section of government 
land in that township, and on it he made 
his home until his death, October 12, 1891. 
His wife died on the 22nd of January, 
1 90 1. The_\- were the parents of seven chil- 
dren, ine of whom died in infancy. Those 
living are Christine, widow of Andrew 
Seth and a resident of Stratford, Iowa ; 
Ellen, widow of Carl J. Johanson and a 
resident of the same place; Jonas, who also 
lives in Stratford; Elizabeth, widow of our 
subject; and Peter, of Stratford. Unto 
Air. and Mrs. Schill were born the follow- 
ing children : Lorena, wife of Emanuel 
Johnson, employed in a meat market in 
Dayton ; Millie G. and Harry M., both at 
home with their mother; Arthur J., who 
died September 10, 1895, at the age of fif- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



365 



teen years; Carl, also at home; and Edna. 
who died September 14, 1895, when about 
three years of age. The family have a very 
pleasant and comfortable home in Dayton, 
and stand high in public esteem. 

After his marriage Mr. Schill continued 
to reside in Hamilton county until 1876, 
when he purchased a farm of one hundred 
and sixty acres in Dayton township, Web- 
ster county, to which he subsequently added 
forty acres. He successfully engaged in 
the operation of this land until his death. 
He was a stanch supporter of the Republi- 
can party, and an honored member of the 
Grand Army of the Republic, while his 
wife was a member of the Woman's Relief 
Corps and the Methodist Episcopal church, 
which he also attended. His life was such 
as b 1 ci immand the respect and confidence 
of all with whom he was brought in con- 
tact, either in business or social affairs, and 
he was always found true to every trust 
reposed in him. so that his loyalty to his 
adopted country was above question, be- 
ing manifest in days 1 f peace as well as 
when he followed the old flag to victory on 
southern battle fields. 



STILLMAN T. MESERVEY. 

Hon. Stillman T. Meservey is now rep- 
resenting his district in the state legislature, 
and is known as one of the most distin- 
guished and honorable citizens of Webster 
mnty. He is prominent in the circles of 
the Republican party, where his opinions 
carry weight and influence because of his 
honest allegiance to the platform, his lofty 
patriotism and his unfaltering support of 
whatever he believes to be right and just. 
Mr. Meservey is numbered among the na- 



tive suns of Illinois, where his birth oc- 
curred December 17, 1848. He was aboul 
six years of age when he accompanied his 
parents to Webster county, and thus he has 
spent the greater part of his life in this lo- 
cality. His preliminary education, ac- 
quired in the public schools of Fort Dodge, 
was supplemented by study in the Clinton 
Liberal Institute, of Clinton, Xew York. 
Throughout his business career he has been 
identified with commercial and industrial 
interests of the county seat. For a time 
he owned and conducted a drug store, and 
since its organization in 1871, he has been 
associated with the Iowa Plaster Associa- 
tion. As a business man he is extremely 
capable possessing the western spirit of en- 
terprise and progress. He not only forms 
his plans readily, but is determined in their 
execution, and with all he is straightfor- 
ward and reliable in all trade transactions. 
Mr. Meservey was united in marriage 
to Miss Anna Scott, of Oneida county, Xew 
York, and their union was blessed with 
three children: William X.. Lizzie and 
Scott. The family occupy an enviable po- 
sition in social circles, and their own home 
is celebrated for its gracious hospitality, 
which is greatly enjoyed by their many 
friends. On the 15th of December, 1900, 
Mrs. .Meservey was called to her final re- 
ward, leaving a much bereaved family and 
a host of admiring friends. In the affairs 
of the city Mr. Meservey has long been an 
important factor, and his fellow townsmen, 
recognizing his worth and ability, have 
called him to public office. Three times he 
has served as mayor of Fort Dodge, his ad- 
ministration being practical, business like 
and progressive. He has favored improve- 
ment without extravagance. He has sup- 
ported all practical reforms and has ever 
exercised his official prerogatives to sup- 



366 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



port the measures that have lead to sub- 
stantial development. Several times he has 
been a member of the city council, and in 
1885 he was elected to the state legislature 
of towa, and again honored with the posi- 
tion in 1901. No higher testimonial of his 
capability could be given than the fact that 
he has been re-elected to office, for the pub- 
lic is a discriminating factor and although 
unscrupulous men sometimes gain office, it 
is impossible for them to retain electii 
sitions which are subject to public criticism. 
Mr. Meserve} lias left the impress of his 
individuality upon the legislative measures 
enacted during his terms of service. To 
each question that has come up for settle- 
ment, he has given earnest and thoughtful 
deratii n, and his course has ever been 
marked by patriotic devotion to duty, plac- 
ing his county before party, and general 
welfare before personal aggrandizement. 



ALBERT L. STINE. 

Albert L. Stine, farmer and coal dealer, 
and owner < f one hundred and twenty acres 
of land on sections 3 and to. Pleasant Val- 
ley township, was born in .McLean county, 
Illinois, fifteen miles east of Bloomington, 
September 19. 1845. His parents, 1). E. 
and Mary (Dawson) Stine, were natives 
respectively of Duncombe count}-. North 
Carolina, and McLean county, Illinois, and 
were intimately connected with pioneer life 
in Iowa. 

The Stine family is of German descent, 
and was first represented in America by the 
paternal grandfather of our subject, who 
emigrated from Germany and settled in 
Pennsylvania. < >n the maternal side, the 
grandfather Dawson came from Ohio, and 



participated in the war of 1812. He was 
actively engaged in the raid on the Indians 
after the terrible massacre at Spirit Lake, 
Iowa, and his patriotism and general worth 
won for him a warm place in the hearts of 
other pioneers of this state. The parents of 
Ml nil L. Stine were married in McLean 
count}'. Illinois, and in 1853 removed to 
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where they lived until 
the fall of 1854, going then to Kossuth 
count}-, this state. Eventually they re- 
turned to McLean county, and to their sur- 
prise found that the grandfather Dawson 
had departed from his accustomed haunts, 
and with teams and prairie schooners had 
.started with his family for Iowa. Lie set- 
tled in Homer, then the county-seat of Web- 
ster county, where he bought two lots, and 
afterward came to Fort Dodge, where he 
bought the four-acre lots now owned by Mr. 
Conaway. In the meantime his son-in-law, 
D. E. Stine, finding his father-in-law gone 
from Mel. can c< unty, started in pursuit and 
overtook him at Agency City, where Mr. 
Dawson had rented a In nisi; ami left his 
family and one team of horses. Together 
they took their families and moved to Fort 
Dodge, where Mr. Stine lived until the 
spring of 1859, after which he settled on a 
farm, on section 3, Pleasant Valley township, 
which property is now owned by V. Rogers. 
This land, which was taken up as a river 
claim, continued to be the heme of the ni w 
settlers until 186(1, when Mr. Stine took up 
his residence in Kansas City, Missouri, and 
engaged in building and contracting. From 
there he removed to Olathe, Johnson coun- 
ty,. Kansas, where his wife died in April, 
1S74. After a time he went back to [owa 
and lived in Carroll county, but eventually 
settled in Denver, Colorado, in r88i, where 
he again married, and where he died in 
[889. He was a Democrat in politics and 




ALBERT L. STINE 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



309 



held many positions of trust and responsi- 
bility. He was deputy-sheriff of Linn 
county, Iowa, having first been elected con- 
stable, and his energy and varied capabil- 
ities led him into many lines of activity. 
He was among other things a hotel man, 
having with considerable success conducted 
a hostelry in Cedar Rapids. He was the 
father of twelve children by his first union, 
namely: Albert L. ; Laura, who became 
the wife of Judge H. P. Moffitt and died in 
Dubuque. Iowa, her husband having died 
by the hand of an assassin in Kentucky; 
J. D., who married Miss Talbott, of Car- 
roll, Iowa, and lives in Fort Dodge; Clar- 
inda, who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, 
and married Mr. Blake after the death of 
her first husband, Henry Gile; William, 
who i> married and lives in Xew York 
city; Maria, who lives in Carroll, Iowa, and 
is the wife of Robert Cobuvn; Mary, who 
lives near Prairie City, Iowa, and. after the 
death of her husband, James Folsom, mar- 
ried J. Simmons; McClelland, who died 
when ten days old; Frank, who married 
Elvira Curtis and lives in Kansas City, Kan- 
sas; Nina, who is the wife of Warner Mil- 
ler and lives in Denver, Colorado; Elma, 
who is married to Frank Thomas and lives 
in Boone, b vva; and Henrv, who married 
Miss Powell. By the second union of D. E. 
Stine there were three children. 

The early education of Albert L. Stine 
is interestingly associated with the first log 
school house in "Webster county, built one 
block west of wdiere the Wahkonsa school 
building now stands in Fort Dodge. The 
teacher of this school in 1S55 was a Miss 
Hunt, during whose term of service the 
brick school house was built. A later im- 
parter of the principles of arithmetic, gram- 
mar and geography was Mr. Gunn, and still 
later Mr. Gaylor, who was succeeded by Mr. 



Miller in 1859. The foil,, wing winter the 
Stine family removed to Pleasant Valley, 
where the son attended school during the 
winter months and worked during the sum- 
mer, and in April of 1864 entered the uni- 
versity at Iowa City. The emergency of the 
Civil war interfered with his proposed plans 
for higher education at the university, for 
in June of 1864 he enlisted in Company D, 
Forty-fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, un- 
der Captain Charles 1''.. Boreland, Colonel 
S. H. Henderson and Adjutant General A. 
i Smith. After spending some time at 
Memphis, Tennessee, the regiment partici- 
pated in a campaign at Holly Springs, 
Mississippi, and were engaged in guard and 
skirmish duty. From July 5, 1864, until 
September _\ 1864, they were at Memphis, 
and then came to Cairo, and later to Daven- 
port, Iowa, where Mr. Stine was honorably 
discharged from the service September 15, 
[864. lie then returned to Fort Dodge 
and worked on a farm, and also engaged in 
freighting between Boone, Cedar Falls, Ne- 
vada and Des Moines to Fori i ixlge. 

On the 24th of April. 1866, at Fort 
Dodge. Mr. Stine married Miss Alice Mc- 
Anally, who was horn in De Kalb county, 
Indiana, April 7, 1849, a daughter of Will- 
iam R. and Elizabeth (Potts) McAnally, 
the former a native of Kentucky, the latter 
of Defiance county, Ohio. Her parents 
were married in the Buckeye state, where 
they made their home for a number of 
years, and then spent eleven years in De 
Ralh county. Indiana. In the spring of 
r866 they removed to Webster county, 
low. -I, and located m Pleasant Valley town- 
ship. Upon the purchase of one hundred 
and eighty-seven acres of land they lived 
for two. years, and after disposing of the 
property went to Cass county, Missouri, 
where the father died June 11. 1896, and 



3.-o 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was buried at Harrisonville, that county. 
He was a Republican in politics, and a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. He 
had been justice of peace for a number 
of years, and had held most of the import- 
ant township offices in Indiana. His wife, 
who is now living in Butler, Bates county. 
Missouri, is the mother of fifteen children : 
James, now deceased, married Mary Knott, 
who lives in Waterloo. Indiana: Louisa, 
also deceased, became the wife of Daniel 
Rhodes, who married again, and died in 
Webster county, towa; Sarah, who died at 
Kearney, Nebraska, married James Wal- 
lace, who died in Bremer county, Iowa; 
Thomas, who died in Rochester, Indiana, 
married Nancy Keely, whose death occur- 
red in Kansas City. Missouri; Susan and 
Mary both died in infancy; Amanda, who 
became the widow of William Hornberger, 
lives in Bates county, Missouri, and has 
since married Albert Rogers; Catherine and 
Isabella died in infancy: William H. mar- 
ried Kate Corey and lives in Lehigh, Iowa; 
Anna died at the age of nine years: Alice 
is the wife of A. L. Stine : John is now de- 
ceased, and his widow, formerly Martha 
Wynn, married again and lives in Cass 
county, Missouri: B. W.. who lives in Le- 
high, Iowa, first married Mary Ball Mc- 
Anally and after her death wedded her half- 
sister. Hannah Ball: and A. L. married 
Elizabeth Copeland and lives in Rich Hill, 
Bates county. Missouri. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Stine have been born 
the following children : Mary E.. born Jan- 
uary 2, 1868, and died August 9, 1869; 
Laura A., born September 1. 1869, and 
married Thomas Sebber in 1893, lives on a 
farm in Newark township and has two chil- 
dren living, Clara and Alice; Daisv I., born 
July 26, 1 87 1, married J. J. Fritz in 1802, 
l^ves at Fort Dodge, and has one child, 



Grace: Mabel C, born February 22, 1873. 
married Robert Johnston in 1892, lives in 
Estherville. Iowa, and has four children, 
Pearl, Albert, Ruby and Culbert ; Margaret 
A., born May 22, 1875, married Jeremiah 
Coleman in 1896, lives in Washington 
township 011 a farm and has two children, 
Ellen and Lyle; William Ernest, born Feb- 
ruary 23. 1877. is a traveling salesman fof 
the Fort Dodge Grocery Company : Albert 
B., born April 17, 1880, died December 16. 
1881 : Aaron F.. born March 14. 1882, lives 
in Washington township: Faith, born Au- 
gust 3, 1884, and Robert J., born September 
14, 1886, are at home; Lisle, born Septem- 
ber 13, 1889, died November 10 of the same 
year; Samuel L., born January 7, 1891, 
c mpletes the family. 

After his marriage Mr. Stine lived in 
Webster county until March 14, 1807. when 
he went to Kansas City. Missouri, and 
worked there that summer at making hay 
and hauling ties and bricks. On the idth of 
October, the same year, he returned to Web- 
ster county and bought five acres of land 
on section 10, Pleasant Valley township, 
and in iHj(> sold out and settled on the Fort 
Dodge Coal Company's land, where he built 
a house and rani a coal mine until [896. He 
then purchased forty acres of land on sec- 
tion 3, Pleasant Valley township, and after- 
ward bought eight}- acres, and at the present 
time he owns one hundred and twenty acres 
of as fine land as is to be found in the coun- 
ty. The coal mine under his farm is leased 
to other parties, and at present Mr. Stine 
devotes the greater part of his time to agri- 
cultural pursuits. He is a wide-awake, pr< *- 
gressive man. and has added his share to 
the best development of AYebster count}". 
Mr. Stine is a popular and well-known man 
and fraternally is a member of the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, Sparta 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECOUP. 



37i 



Lodge, No. 226, at Kalo. He is also as- 
sociated with the .Grand Army of the Re- 
public, Fort Donelson Post, at Fort Podge. 
Dodsre. 



JOHN O'LOUGHLIX. 

John O'Loughlin; deceased, through 
the years of his identification with Fort 
Podge enjoyed the highest respect of his 
fellow townsmen by reason of his strict in- 
tegrity and upright dealings. He was born 
in Count)' Clare, Ireland, June 20, 1820, 
and in early life came to the United States. 
Prior to his departure for this country both 
his parents died, and the trip to .America 
was made alone. He first took up his resi- 
dence in Roundout, New York. Learning 
the mason's trade, he followed that occupa- 
tion throughout his active business life, and 
during his residence in Fort Dodge, he also 
dealt in real estate to some extent. 

In 1N54 Mr. O'Loughlin was married 
at Roundout. New York, to Miss Ellen 
Murphy, who was also a native of the Em- 
erald Isle, and they became the parents of 
the following named children: Mary, now 
a resident of Fort Podge, was born in 
Roundout, Xew York, and successfully 
engaged in teaching school for some time; 
Elizabeth is the wife of T. A. Cunningham, 
of Fort Podge; Ella is the wife of C. E. 
Griffin, a merchant of Clare, Iowa; and 
John C. is a mason and contractor of Fort 
Podge. All the children, with the excep- 
tion of the first named, were born in Fort 
Dodge. 

It was on the 1st of October, 1856, that 
Air. O'Loughlin and his family came to 
Fort Podge, and with its business interests 
lie was closely identified until his death, 
which occurred June 22, 1886. His wife, 



who survived him some years, passed away 
on the 17th of February, 1896. Their 
home was at 546 Third avenue, north, 
which house was built by Mr. O'Loughlin 
alone in early days. He not only erected 
the walls of this structure, but also quarried 
the gypsum and cut the stone, it taking him 
about five years to complete the task, but 
ii to day stands as a substantial monument 
to his architectural skill and handiwork. 
In all the relations of life he was found 
true to every trust reposed in him, and was 
held in high regard by all with whom he 
came in contact, either in business or social 
life. 



JOHN LOOBY. 



For several years the subject of this 
sketch was actively identified with the busi- 
ness interests of Fort Podge and was ac- 
counted one of its most reliable and highly 
respected citizens. He was born in Utica, 
Ww York, May 6, 1835, and was a son 
of Thomas Looby, a native of Ireland and 
a retired gentleman. At an early day the 
family removed to Wilkesbarre, Pennsyl- 
vania, and there our subject acquired his 
literary education and also learned the car- 
penter's trade. When the country became 
involved in civil war he offered his services 
to the government, enlisting in April, iNoi. 
for ninety days, as a member of Company 
P. Eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer In- 
fantry. At the end of that time he was 
mustered out and did not re-enlist on ac- 
o iunt of rheumatism. 

Coming to Iowa in the summer of 1861, 
Mr. Looby first located in Dubuque and 
turned his attention to boat building in the 
daytime and to drilling recruits at night un- 
til 1862, when he accepted a position as 



372 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



freight conductor on the Chicago & North- 
western Railroad. The following year he 
entered the employ of the Illinois Central 
Railroad as passenger conductor, running 
between Dubuque and Fort Dodge, and re- 
mained with that corporation until 1879, 
when he embarked in the grain and stock 
business and followed that pursuit for one 
year. The following year was spent in 
travel in the west, and in 1882 he opened a 
drug store in Fort Dodge, which be carried 
on quite successfully until ill health caused 
his retirement from business in 1894. Mr. 
Looby's efforts met with success and at the 
time < f his death he was able to leave his 
family in comfortable circumstances. Mr. 
Looby was married on October 31, 1874, 
to Miss Annie Goodwin, who was born in 
Watertown, New York, January 7, 1856. 
Her parents, John and Mary (McAdams) 
Goodwin, were natives of Ireland and Ver- 
mont, respectively. Unto Mr. and Mrs. 
Looby were born six children, the first four 
in Dubuque and the others in Fort Dodge. 
In order of birth they are as follows: Jen- 
nie, born August 8, 1875, is now the wife 
of Virgil Deckert, a plumber of Fort 
Dodge; Alice, born October 10, 1877, is 
the wife of J. T. Garland, bookkeeper for 
the Iowa Plaster Company of this city; 
Julia, born May 30, 1879. is the wife oi 
Herbert L. Dickinson, a farmer of Elreno, 
Oklahoma; Annie, born January 31, 1881, 
is the wife of E. F. Warren, a machinist of 
Chicago; and Agnes, born March 25, 1883, 
and Esther, born April 25, 1886, are both 
attending St. Joseph's Academy of Des 
\l< Hies. The family residence in Fort 
Dodge is at 813 First avenue north. 

Mr. Looby died November 15, 1896, 
and his death was deeply mourned by a host 
of warm friends as well as his immediate 
family. He was a Royal Arch Mason and 



a member of Fort Donelson Post, No. 236, 
G. A. R. He was also an honorary mem- 
ber of Company G, Iowa National Guards, 
and was one of the representative and 
prominent citizens of Fort Dodge. 



SARAH ELMIRA DANIELS. 

The oft-demonstrated fact that women 
possess particular aptitude for the manage- 
ment of agricultural enterprises is happily 
illustrated in the successful career of Sarah 
Elmira Daniels, widow of W. H. Daniels, 
and the owner of a farm of two hundred 
acres on section 8, Webster township. Un- 
til her tenth year Mrs. Daniels lived in Ma- 
con county, Illinois, where she was born 
June 8, 1854, a daughter of Henry Widick, 
subsequently identified with the substantial 
growth of Webster county, and mentioned 
at length in another part of this work. 

At the public schools of Webster county 
Mrs. Daniels diligently continued the study 
begun in Illinois, and remained under the 
parental roof, a mile from where she 
now lives, up to the time of her mar- 
riage with W. II. Daniels, March 2^, 
18/ 3. Mr. Daniels was born in Bureau 
o mity, [llini is, June 9, 184'), a son of Dan- 
iel Daniels, the latter of whom was for many 
years one of the chief promoters 1 >f the well- 
being of this county. The son graduated 
from the district schools and the high school 
of Webster City, and lived with his parents 
until the time of his marriage. He then 
purchased eighty acres of land, to the im- 
provement of which he devoted his best en- 
ergies up to the time of his death, October 
24, 1899. Nor did the eighty acres repre- 
sent the entire result of his industry, for as 
the years went by and his harvests vielded 




W. H. DANIELS 




MRS. W. H. DANIELS 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



177 



abundantly more lands came into his pi - 
n, so that in time he owned more than 
six hundred acres. He was an excellent 
manager and shrewd business man and un- 
dersto d how to best utilize the land in the 
improvement of which he took such pride. 
He raised considerable high-grade stock 
and engaged in general farming, but was 
by no means self-centered in his inter 
fi r township affairs in general commanded 
his earnest consideration and suppi 
a stanch Republican he held many offices of 
trust and responsibility, and he was con- 
spicuously averse to the crooked methods 
often resorted to by office holders at the ex- 
pense of the public welfare. He was a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
and contributed to" the extent of his ability 
toward its charities and support, and he was 
fraternally associated with the Woodmen of 
the World. In the Lab' ring Men's Co- 
operative Life Association he carried a pol- 
icy of two thousand dollars, and al» 
thousand dollars in the Modern Woodmen. 
Mr. Daniels was unexpectedly called from 
the surroundings of which he had been an 
integral and influential part, for his illness 
was of but a week's duration. He was a 
man of sterling worth and unblemished in- 
tegrity, and the hosts of friends who missed 
him from the accustomed haunts appreciated 
his many enviable traits of character. 

Mrs. Daniels is at present the owner of 
two hundred acres of her husband's prop- 
erty, the balance of the six hundred acres 
having been divided up among the heirs ac- 
cording to the terms of his will. Upon this 
well-regulated and fertile farm she has 
reared the following children : Delia Mabel, 
born March 5. 1874. and now the wife of 
Edward Wooddle, of Webster township; 
Bertha Evelyn, born February 12, 1S77. and 
the wife of Edward Reed, a farmer of Web- 



■■■■ nship : 1 >aisi ^.gnes, boi 1 September 
6, 1879, an '' at present the win 

Hamilton, a farmer living one mile c 
the Daniels farm: Howard Alvin. born May 
30, 1882, and living with his mother; Will- 
iam Ralph, horn June 21, [884; Mollii 
gusta, born February 6, [889; Walter Ed- 
gar, horn January 17, [892; Hazel 
March 30. 1896. In the carry i. 
of her various interests Airs. Daniels is ably 
assisted by three of her sons, who are suc- 

illy maintaining the methods adopted 
by their father, and are in every way pro- 

ive and broad-minded member- of si - 
ciety. Mrs. 1 )aniels is a share holder' in 
the Lehigh Savings Bank, and is a mi 
of the Rebekah Lodge at Lehigh. She has 
■ table home, fine barns 
and general improvements, is a worker in 
the Methi > : pal church, and an in- 

fluential member of the social and material 
life of the township. 



HIRAM REEFER. 



r over a quarter of a century this 
gentleman was identified with the interests 
of Fi rt Dodge, and was accounted cue of 
its most highly respected citizens. He was 
born in Coeymans, Albany count}', Xew 
York. August 8, 1824, and in early life was 
apprenticed to the carpenter's trade in Al- 
bany. After he had thoroughly mastered 
that occupation he commenced busines 
himself as a contractor and builder. 

On the 22d of September. 1847. Mr. 
Keefer was united in marriage with Miss 
Susan Rainier, of Western. Xew York, and 
before leaving Albany county one son was 
hn 1'.. whose birth occurred 
April 20, 1853. On the 21st of April, 1856, 



378 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Keefer and his family removed from 
Albany to Harvard Junction, McHenry 
county, Illinois, where the son died Febru- 
ary II, 1859. Another son, Charles M,, 
was born at that place October 19, 1861. 
While at Harvard Mr. Keefer was asso- 
ciated with the Chicago & Northwestern 
Railroad Company as contractor and 
builder. 

In 18G8 he brought his family to Fort 
Dodge, Iowa, arriving here on the 14th of 
April, and here formed a partnership with 
L. Blanden and H. Norton in the lumber 
business under the firm name of Blanden, 
Norton & Company. His worth and abil- 
ity were soon widely recognized and he be- 
came a prominent factor in public affairs v 
serving as a member of the city council 
from the fourth ward and also as a member 
of the school board. His course was ever 
such as to commend him to the confidence 
and respect of all with whom he was 
bn Light in contact either in public or private 
life, and at his death, which ocurred Oc- 
tober 31, 1893, he left many friends as well 
as bis immediate family to mourn his loss. 
His widow, who was bom on the 1st of 
March. 1821, at New Baltimore, Greene 
count v. Xew York, is now eighty-one years 
of age, but still enjoys good health. She 
makes her home at 1331 Fourth avenue 
south, where she is surrounded by a host of 
warm friends and acquaintances. 

Charles M. Keefer, the only child of our 
subject now living, was reared and edu- 
cated in Fort Dodge, and was connected 
with a grocery store in this city in 1877 and 
1878. On severing his connection with the 
firm he commenced railroading as brakeman 
on the Illinois Central Railroad in the fall 
of 1X79, and in the spring of the following 
year was called to Minneapolis as a con- 
ductor on the main line of the Minne- 



apolis & St. Louis Railroad, with which 
he remained four years. He was next 
in the employ of the Chicago, Milwau- 
kee & St. Paul Railroad, and while 
with that road. September 19, 1885, he 
fell from the top of a box car, passing 
between two cars, and falling with his 
right hand on the rail, so that it was 
crushed under the wheels. This necessi- 
tated the amputation of that member. 
Since then Mr. Keefer has been a book- 
keeper and traveling salesman, and makes 
liis home in Fort Dodge. He acceptably 
served one term as city assessor, to which 
office he was elected by a large majority — 
a fact that plainly indicates his personal 
popularity and the confidence reposed in 
him by his fellow citizens. He was mar- 
ried, May K). [889, to Miss Lucy E. Cooley, 
of Marshalltown, Iowa. 



FRANK L. EASLEY. 

Probably one of the best-known civil 
engineers of this section of the state is 
Frank L. Fasley. of Fort Dodge, his home 
being at 613^2 Central avenue. He was 
born November 29, 1850, near Crawfords- 
ville. in Parke county, Indiana, and is one 
of a family of ten children, having" five 
brothers and four sisters. His parents, 
Daniel and Rachel (Newcomb) Easley, 
both died in October. 1901, at the age of 
seventy-seven and seventy-five years, re- 
spectively. Both were born in this country, 
and the father was a contractor and builder 
by occupation. He was a soldier of both the 
Mexican and Civil wars, and was a most 
loyal and patriotic citizen. In 1S51 he re- 
moved with his family to Ottumwa, Iowa, 
where in connection with his chosen occu- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



379 



1 'an. -n he also ran a mill until the Civil war 
broke out, when he assisted in organizing 
two companies of infantry, but he himself 
joined the First Iowa Cavalry. 

Frank L. Easier acquired his early edu- 
< atii n in the public schools of Ottumwa, and 
also studied civil engineering, being con- 
nected with that department of the Chicago, 
Burlington & Quincy Railroad service in 
starting out upon his business career. Com- 
ing to Webster county in 1875, he engaged 
in civil engineering and the study of law 
and was admitted to practice before the 
state and federal courts in 1S80. That year 
he entered the employ of the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railway in the capacity of 
civil engineer, and in 1883 was elected 
county surveyor of Webster county, which 
office he filled for a number of terms. He 
also served as city engineer for ten vears, 
being elected to that position in 1S84, and 
under his supervision all of the sewer mams 
of Fort Dodge were built and the water 
works reconstructed. He made the plans 
and specifications and superintended the 
erection of the water tower. In 1884 Air. 
Easley assisted in locating and building the 
Mason City & Fort Dodge Railroad, now a- 
part of the Chicago & Great Western sys- 
tem, and in' 1898 again entered the service 
of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway on 
double-track work between Cedar Rapids 
and Tama City, and also laid out a switch- 
yard in Cedar Rapids. Being then trans- 
ferred, he engaged in the construction of 
the lines on Soldier and Boyer rivers near 
Dennison, Iowa, but during all this time he 
made his headquarters in Fort Dodge and 
maintained an office here. At the present 
time he is engaged in special work of vari- 
ous kinds in the line of his profession, and is 
considered one of the best and most capable 
civil engineers in Iowa. 



On the 3d of March. iS-j. Mr. Easley 
was united in marriage with Miss Melissia 
McKinley, a daughter of Abner McKinley, 
who was a farmer by occupation. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Easley have been born the follow- 
ing children: Minnie, the wife of L. B. 
Buswell, of Calhoun county, Iowa; Emma, 
who is the wife of a Mr. Davidson and a 
tesident of Webster county: Andrew, also 
a farmer of this count) ; Rachel, who is 
married to a brother of the other Mr. David- 
son and resides in this count}-; Eva, who 
married a Mr. Reckard, of South Dakota, 
where they make their home; and Frank, 
v\ ho resides in this county. Fraternally Mr. 
Easley is a member of the Masonic order, 
holding the Memphis Rite, ninetieth de- 
gree. 



J. F. KUSTERER. 

From crude inactivity and unproductive- 
ness Mr. Kusterer has developed his farm of 
two hundred and forty acres on section 5, 
Fulton township, until at the present time 
there are few properties in the county which 
yield more abundant harvests or reward in- 
dustry with more lucrative returns. This 
especially enterprising tiller of the soil was 
bora in Logan county, Illinois, February 
20, 1854, a son of Jonathan Conrad and 
Caroline (Bauer) Kusterer. natives of Ger- 
man)-. 

In the fatherland Jonathan Conrad 
Kusterer was a successful farmer, while she 
whom he eventually married was a clerk in 
her father's brick-yard. After uniting their 
fortunes for good and all they came to 
America in June, 1853, the sailing craft 
making the voyage in sixty-one days. Upon 
landing in New York they went direct to 
Springfield, Illinois, by rail, and from there 
to Mount I'ula>ki. that state, in the vicin- 



38o 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ity of which town the}- rented land for ten 
or eleven years. With the money saved 
from this undertaking- they purchased eighty 
acres of land in Sagamon county, Illinois. 
upon which they lived for eighty years, and 
this was afterward given in trade with a 
money consideration for another farm of 
one hundred and sixty acres in Logan coun- 
ty, Illinois. There the first wife died in 
1886, and two years later the father married 
Mary Vogel; who, by her previous mar- 
riage, had one son, John, now living in 
Quincy. In the course of time the father's 
health failed, and in search of that vitality 
supp sed to be imparted by the balmy air 
and perpetual sunshine of California he 
went thither with his "wife, and died amid 
his delightful surroundings in October, 
1901. His wife now lives in Mount Pu- 
laski. Illinois. There were seven children 
in the family: Wilhelmina, who is now the 
wife of Christian Schrote, a farmer near 
Mount Pulaski; J. F. ; John, who married 
Kate Bresmer and live> in Fulton township, 
Webster ci unity, Iowa ; Louis, who mar- 
vied Lena Rose and lives on the home farm 
in Illinois; Mary, who is now the wife of 
Garret Rentmister and lives near Mount 
Pulaski; Edward, who married June .Mc- 
Neil and lives in Fulton township, Webster 
county, Iowa; and Samuel, who married 
Fannie Ellison and "lives in Sangamon 
county, Illinois. 

As a buy Mr. Kusterer lived on his fa- 
ther's farm and received his education in 
the public schools. His life was practi- 
cally uneventful up to the time of bis mar- 
riage, January 30, 1878, with Catherine 
Voile, who was born near Mount Pulaski, 
Illinois, December 2, 1858. The parents 
of Mrs. Kusterer emigrated from Germany 
in 1830, and two years later settled in Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania, eventually removing to 



the vicinity of Mount Pulaski, Illinois, 
where thev have since lived. They are the 
parents of nine children, of whom Mrs. 
Kusterer is the oldest ; < reorge, who married 
Nancy Broughton and lives in Kansas; Ja- 
cob, a resident of Logan count}-, Illinois; 
|< lin C, who married Leora Lakin and lives 
in Logan county; Frederick; Lillie; Louis; 
and Walter. To Mr. and Mrs. Kusterer 
have been born six children: Fannie E., 
born September 20. 1879; Lydia M., June 
20, [882; Laura A.. April II, 1889; Daniel 
J., March 28, [892; Luvina, March 25, 
[894; and Ella .May, September 11, 1898. 
For twenty-one years Mr. Kusterer 
lived in Logan county, Illinois, upon rented 
land, and in the meantime had purchased 
the farm upon which he now lives, and upon 
which he moved in 1898. He has spared no 
pains in general improvements and has 
spent over two thousand five hundred dol- 
lars in endeavoring to make his property 
.me of the finest in Webster county. The 
buildings are constructed after the most ap- 
proved manner, and the machinery intro- 
duced is of modern construction and in ac- 
cord with latter-day methods of conduct- 
ing a farm. Mr. Kusterer is affiliated with 
the Republican party, but has been too ac- 
tively employed with his general interests 
to either desire or seek public recognition. 
He occupies a conspicuous place among the 
progressive agriculturists and citizens of 
Fulton township, and is a promoter of the 
all-around stability of its interests and insti- 
tutions. 



LEMUEL LONG. 

Lemuel L ing, a retired farmer residing 
on section 34, Deer Creek township, is an 
honored representative of the early pio- 
neers of this county and a true type of the- 




LEMUEL LONG 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



383 



.nic, hard}- men who have activebj as- 
sisted in developing and improving this 
beautiful and fertile agricultural country. 
He dates his residence in this county from 
the spring of 1856 and in its development 
and progress he has taken an active part. 

Mr. Long was born in Coventry, Con- 
necticut, October 29, 1813, and i- now the 
only one living in a. family of ten children. 
of win im lie was eighth in order of birth. 
'I he Long familj was Founded in the new 
world by three brothers, who came t<i this 
ci mitrv in early colonial days and settled in 
New York. One remained in that state, 
but one subsequently removed to Connecti- 
cut and the other to Pennsylvania. From 
the Connecticut branch our subject is de- 
scended. His father, Reuben Long, was a 
native of the Nutmeg state, where he spent 
his early life engaged in farming, but his 
last years were passed in Erie county. Xew 
York, where he located when that region 
was an almost unbroken wilderness ami in 
the midst of the forest he cleared and de- 
veloped a farm. When a young man he 
married Miss Esther Abby, also a native 
of Connecticut. Her father took part in 
the early Indian wars and also in the Revo- 
lution, and .her husband was also numbered 
among the Continental soldiers who aided 
the colonies in achieving their indepen- 
dence. 

Lemuel Long passed his boyhood and 
youth in Erie county, Xew York, and re- 
mained under the parental roof until lie at- 
tained his majority. In 1835 he removed 
to Kalamazoo, Michigan, which state was 
then a territory, and took up a claim of 
eighty acres, which he subsequently pur- 
chased when the land came into market. 
There he opened up a good farm and suc- 
cessfully engaged- in its operation for sev- 



eral years. He next went to La Salle coun- 
ty, Illinois, in [854, and bought one hun- 
dred and sixty acre- of wild land near Ot- 
tawa, which he commenced to improve, hut 
at the end of two years he sold that place 
at a good profit and came to Webster 1 
ty, Iowa, arriving in April. 1856. After 
purchasing three hundred and twenty 
acres of wild land in Deer Creek township, 
he returned to Illinois for his family. Their 
first home here was a log- house, in 
which they lived for several years while 
Mr. Long- broke the land and placed 
;'. under cultivation. In later years he 
sold a part of the original purchase 
and bought other land, and to-day owns 
two hundred and twenty acres, under 
excellent cultivation and well improved 
with good buildings. In connection with 
general farming he engaged in raising and 
feeding stock for market, but has now laid 
aside all business cares and is enjoying a 
well-earned rest. 

While a resident of Kalamazoo county, 
Michigan. Mr. Long was married in 1840 
to Miss Jane Shoemaker, who was born and 
reared in Pennsylvania, and died after 
coming to this count} in 1N57. By that 
union seven children were born, namely: 
Reuben, now a resident of Clarinda, Iowa; 
Charles, a farmer of Nebraska; Eli, a resi- 
dent of Minnesota; Joseph, a farmer of 
Webster count}-; Mary, wife of Wilson 
Lumpkin, a business man of Louisiana; 
Martha, wjife of W. C. Brown, of Fort 
Dodge. Iowa; Ada. wife of George Wright, 
of Connecticut. Mr. Long was again mar- 
ried in this count}- in 1857, his second union 
being with Miss Adaline F. Hunt, a na- 
tive of Monroe count}. Xew York, where 
her early life was passed. Her father.. 
Ebenezer Hunt, was a miller In" trade and 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



one of the first settlers of Webster county, 
Iowa. In early life Mrs. Long engaged in 
teaching and taught the first summer 
sch' ol in Fort Dodge. She died May 26, 
1901, leaving' five children: Esther, now 
the wife of Samuel Eechtel, of California; 
Erastus E., who is engaged in farming on 
the home place; Ellen M., wife of W. B. 
Miller, of Fort Dodge; Pattie May, wife 
of James B. Garrett, of Fort Dodge ; and 
George L., who was married in December, 
[899, to Bertha L. Fuller and had one 
daughter. Bertha Ruth, who died at the age 
of nine months. 

On attaining his majority Mr. Long 
became identified with the Democracy, but 
being a strong Abolitionist, he joined the 
Republican party at the outbreak of the 
Civil war, and has since been one of its 
.stanch supporters, lie has always taken an 
active and commendable interest in public 
affairs and served for eight years as town- 
ship trustee, thirteen years as township 
school treasurer, and as a member of the 
school board for several years. He was 
reared in the Presbyterian faith, but has 
never united with any church organization. 
His long residence in this county, covering 
almost half a century has made him wideb- 
and favorably known, and he has the re- 
spect and confidence of all with whom he 
comes in contact. He can relate many in- 
teresting incidents of pioneer days in this 
locality, when the county was all wild and 
unimproved. He owned the first threshing 
machine ever brought into the county and 
run the same during season for twelve 
years. He also bought the first mower and 
reaper, and not only cut grain for his neigh- 
bors, but fur farmers living in adjoining 
counties, as improved machinery was very 
scarce in pioneer days. He is a man of 
tried integrity and sterling worth, and well 



deserves prominent mention among the hon- 
ored pioneers and representative citizens of 
his adopted county. 

JAMES O. NELSON. 

Among the prominent and successful 
Norwegians of Webster county particular 
mention is due James O. Nelson, who has 
improved his opportunities in the land of 
his adoption and is the possessor of a fine 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres on 
section 30, Fulton township. He was born 
in Norway, May 26, 1859, and is a son of 
Xels and Anna (Jenson) Nelson, who were 
born and spent their entire lives in the 
northern country, where the mother died in 
1877 and the father in 1883. Of their two 
living sons, Nels is a farmer and is still 
living in the land of his Norse ancesu >rs. 

Like the average youth of Norway, 
James O. Xelsmi received a practical home 
training, and was educated in the district 
sclii K ils. He remained on the home farm 
until sixteen vears of age, after which he 
was empli >yed by the month on the sur- 
rounding farms until the age of twenty- 
i'i >ur. Hoping much from a complete 
change of surroundings, he emigrated to 
America in 1883, and, upon locating in 
Story City, Iowa, was for a time employed 
by the railroad, and subsequently worked on 
a farm until the time of his marriage in 
Hamilton county, April 1. 1886. Mrs. Nel- 
son was formerly Torby A. Peterson, a na- 
tive of Hamilton county, and born March 
13. 1869. Her parents, who were of Nor- 
wegian birth, came to America and settled 
first in Illinois, from which state they re- 
moved to Hamilton county, Iowa, where 
they at present live. Their son Oscar is a 
resident of Minnesota, while Bertha, the 
wife of Martin Miller, and Julia, the wife 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3?5 



of J. P. Brakke, arc residents of Fulton 
tow nship, Webster county. 

After his marriage Mr. Nelson worked 
in Marshall county fir a year, and for the 
following year worked for his father-in- 
law. In 1 888 he rented land for a year, 
and then bought the farm upon which he 
now lives, and where his first wife died 
March 21, 1894. There were born of this 
union three children: Nels A., born Janu- 
ary 16, [887; Alfred T., born March 22, 
1890; and Tobias, horn March 12, 1894, 
and died July 12, 1894. April 1, 1898, Mr. 
Nelsi m married Bertha Martenson, who 
was born in Norway February 1, 1861, and 
whose father died in January of 1878, but 
whose mother is still living in her native 
land. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. 
Nelson are : Tobias, who lives in Mar- 
shall county ; Martin, who is a resident of 
Omaha. Nebraska; Balate, who is the wife 
of Andrew Brakke and lives in Norway; 
Mabel, wdio married G. Larson and also 
lives in Norway ; Christiana, who is the 
wife of Samuel Torbgarens and lives in 
Norway ; and Martha, who is unmarried 
and lives in the same country. Unto Mr. 
and Mrs. Nelson were born two children: 
Anna, wdio was born May 2, 1900, and 
died the following day ; and Amandel, who 
was born February 13. 1902. 

Mr. Nelson is engaged in farming and 
also raises a high grade of cattle. Al- 
though for several years an invalid, and at 
present unable to accomplish any great 
amount of work, he is able, with the assist- 
ance of his strong and capable sons, to keep 
things on the farm in a highly prosperous 
condition. He is a Republican, and a 
stanch adherent of the principles of that 
party, but has never cared for political 
office. He is a man of high moral char- 
acter, as are most of his countrymen, and 



the Norwegian Lutheran church near his 
farm owes its existence to his promotion 
and supp n~t. 



TOHN B. GILL. 



Among the enterprising and public- 
spirited citizens of Fort Dodge is numbered 
the gentleman whose name introduces this 
sketch. He has made his home here since 
the spring of 1869, and is now successfully 
engaged in the grocery business at the cor- 
ner of Fourth avenue south and Nineteenth 
street. A native of the neighboring state 
of Illinois, he was born in Ogle county, 
December 23. 1844, and is a son of Thomas 
and Charlotte (Plane) Gill, who were born 
in England and came to America in 1837. 
By occupation the father was a farmer. 

For his early education John B. Gill is 
indebted to the public schools of Byron, 
Illinois, where he pursued his studies dur- 
ing the winter months and aided his father 
in the work of the home farm through the 
summer season until he entered the army 
during the Civil war. He first enlisted in 
t86i, but his father believing him too 
young to enter the service, he was not 
allowed to go to the front. However, on 
the 1 2th of December, 1863. he enlisted at 
Byron in Company M, Seventeenth Illinois 
Cavalry, under Captain John F. Austin 
and Colonel John L. Beveridge. who was 
later governor of Illinois. From their camp 
at St. Charles. Illinois, the regiment went 
to Alton, where they did guard duty at the 
prison fur about three months. After this 
they were sent to St. Louis, Missouri, and 
for some time was engaged in fighting 
bushwhackers in Missouri and Arkansas. 
They participated in numerous engage- 
ments, including- those at California Sta- 



386 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



tion, Independence, Missouri, and Little 
Blue, where General Marmaduke was cap- 
tured. The hardest battle in which they 
took part was at Otonio on the Arkansas 
line. They remained there until after the 
surrender of General Lee. when they were 
sent out on the plains near Fort Worth, 
Texas. Mr. Gill was mustered out at Fort 
Leavenworth, Kansas. November 23, 1865, 
and received an honorable discharge at 
Springfield, Illinois, six days later. 

Returning to Byron, he remained on 
the home farm until his removal to Fort 
Dodge in the spring of 1869. He was 
married in St. Charles, Illinois, to Miss 
Mary J. McClane, whose parents were na- 
tives of that state, and by this union seven 
children were born, namely: Xellie. now 
the wife of J. A. Fletcher, who is engineer 
in the brickyards of fort 1 lodge; Thomas 
B., who lives at home with his parents; 
Carrie M., widow of Dr. A. P. Anderson; 
Edith, the wife of J. J. O'Brien, of Sioux 
City, Iowa; Katie M.. a teacher living at 
home; Alice, wife of E. E. Mason, book- 
keeper in Olson's drug store; and Frank, 
at home. 

After coming to Fort Dodge, Mr. Gill 
engaged in teaming for two years, and later 
was employed in the store of J. M. Berry 
& Company until i8S_\ when he formed a 
partnership with C. O. Peterson and em- 
barked in the grocery business on Central 
avenue, under the firm name of Peterson & 
Gill. In 1887 he sold his interest in that 
establishment to his partner and purchased 
the stock of John Wolfinger, continuing to 
engage in the same line of business for two 
years, at the end of which time he disposed 
of his store. He then gave his attention 
to the livery business for three years, and on 
selling out was not actively engaged in any 
business until 1895, when he erected a store 



building at the corner of Fourth avenue 
si lutb and nineteenth street and put in a 
stock of groceries. This store he has since 
conducted with marked success, having by 
fair and honorable dealings and good goods 
secured a liberal share of the public patron- 
age. From 1895 until 1901 Mr. Gill was 
a member of the police force of Fort Dodge, 
and proved a very capable and trustworthy 
officer. He also held the office of deputy 
sheriff one term. In politics Mr. Gill sup- 
ports the men and measures of the Republi- 
can partw For three terms he was a mem- 
ber of the city council from the second 
ward and also served two terms on the 
school board. Socially he is connected with 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen, and is 
an honored member of Fort Donelson Post, 
Xo. 2^6, G. A. R. 



HENRY HAYLER. 

This well-known resident of Fort 
Dodge was born in Battle, County of Sus- 
sex, England, on the 4th of May. 1837, 
and is a son of George and Elizabeth 
(Weeks) Hayler, who spent their entire 
lives in that country. The father was a 
chartist and a merchant tailor. Our sub- 
ject has one brother living in the United 
States — George Hayler, who is a resident 
of Ann Arbor. Michigan. His half-brother, 
Guy Hayler, is a well-known English tem- 
perance leader, the editor of the Temper- 
ance Witness at Newcastle on the Tyne, and 
the author of Master Method George Proc- 
tor, the Teetotaler. 

Mr. Hayler, of this review, was reared 
and educated in his native place, and in 
1853 came alone to America. He first lo~ 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



387 



cated in Lockport, New York, where he had 
an uncle living, and for about six years was 
employed in sorting wool in a factory. He 

then learned the painter's trade, which he 
followed for twelve years at Ann Arbor 
Michigan, and then engaged in farming 
near that city until 1871. which year wit- 
nessed his arrival in Iowa. Taking up a 
government homestead in Calhoun county, 
he devoted his time and energies to its im- 
provement and cultivation until 1874, when 
lie removed to Fort Dodge and worked in 
an iron foundry and machine shop for two 
years. He next did odd jobs until 1881, 
when he embarked in the hardware business 
and carried it en for seven years. Since 
then he has given his attention to garden- 
ing. He is widely and favorably known 
throughout the county, and is held in the 
highest regard by a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances. 

On the 22d of December. 1859. Mr. 
Hayler was united in marriage with Mi^ 
.Maria Ashton, of Ann Arbor. Michigan, 
who was born in Moulton, England, Janu- 
ary 26. 1 84 1, and came to the new world in 
185 1 with her parents. Robert and Eliza- 
beth (Beers) Ashton. also natives of Eng- 
land. The father was born in Lincoln- 
shire and was a bricklayer by trade. Both 
he and his wife died in Ann Arbor, Michi- 
gan. Mrs. Hayler is a sister of the gentle- 
men composing the firm of Ashton 
Brothers, grocers, on Central avenue, Fort 
Dodge. 

The children born to our subject and 
his wiife are as follows: Elizabeth A., 
born October 7, i860, is the wife of Pro- 
fessor A. V. Storm, of Cherokee. Iowa ; 
Emma J., born November 7, 1862. is teach- 
ing- in the high school of Quimby, Iowa ; 
Hannah T., born September 21, 1865. is 
the wife of [ason Lowry, a hanker of 



Pomeroy. Iowa; Robert H.. born March 
21. 1867. is a farmer of Webster county; 
Rudolph A., horn October 20, 1871, is an 
engineer on the Minneapolis & St. Louis 
Railroad and resides in Fort Dodge; 
Charles \\\. horn November 28, 1873, is a 
carpenter of Fort Dodge; Florence A., born 
April 14. 1870, is a teacher by occupation; 
Henry Clarence, horn August 25, 1878, is 
stock clerk for the Fort Dodge Grocery 
Company; George R.. born June 25, 1880, 
is a graduate of the State University and 
is now a civil engineer; and Arthur F., 
born June 12, 1885, is at home. The fam- 
ily is one of which any parents might well 
be proud, for all are now tilling honorable 
positions in life. 



FREDERICK E. WEISS. 

The subject of this sketch is one of the 
most progressive and successful farmers of 
Badger township, where he and his sons 
own and operate four hundred acres of rich 
and arable land on section 20. about six 
miles north of Fort Dodge. A native of 
Germany, he was born in Prussia on the 
24th of June, 1840, and was a lad of eleven 
years when, in company with his parents, 
he crossed the ocean and settled in Cook 
county. Illinois, within ten miles of Chi- 
cago. The family made their home upon 
a farm, and there our subject grew to man- 
hood, early becoming familiar with all the 
duties which fall. to the lot of the agri- 
culturist. At the same time he acquired a 
good practical education in the common 
schools near his home. 

While still a resident of Cook county, 
Illinois, Mr. Weiss was married, in 1863, 
to Miss Amelia Weiss, who is also of Ger- 



388 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



man birth, being born in the same neigh- 
borhood as her husband. She was a young 
lady on her emigration to the new world. 
After his marriage Mr. Weiss engaged in 
farming and also worked at his trade, that 
of a carpenter, near Chicago for several 
years. It was in 1878 that he came to Iowa 
with his own and his father's family, and 
took up his residence in Badger township, 
Webster county, where he now resides. 
There the father had purchased an eighty- 
acre farm but partially improved, and while 
he made his home in Fort Dodge our sub- 
ject operated the place. At the father's 
death the children of our subject succeeded 
to the place. In connection with farming 
Mr. Weiss has worked at his trade in this 
county, and. prospering in his undertakings, 
he has purchased land from time to time 
until he and his sons now own over four 
hundred acres under a high state of culti- 
vation. They have built a comfortable and 
commodious residence and convenient out- 
buildings and made many other improve- 
ments which add greatly to the value and 
attractive appearance of the place. Mr. 
Weiss alone owns two hundred and forty 
acres adjoining the old homestead, and is 
to-day one of the well-to-do and substantial 
citizens of his community. As a carpenter 
he has assisted in the erection of many 
buildings in and around Fort Dodge, and in 
this way has materially aided in the up- 
building and development of the county. 

Mi", and .Mrs. Weiss have a family of 
seven children, namely: Louis and Will- 
iam are both married and engaged in farm- 
ing on the home place; Henry is married 
and engaged in the butcher business in Fort 
Dodge ; Otto is also married and now holds 
a responsible position in the county treas- 
urer's office at Fort Dodge; Louisa is the 
wife of Rudolph Beecher, a harness maker 



of Fort Dodge ; and Albert and Carl are 
both at home with their parents. 

Air. Weiss cast his first presidential 
vote for Abraham Lincoln and twice sup- 
ported General Grant for the presidency, 
but since that time has affiliated with the 
Democratic party. For several years he 
served as township trustee and supervisor 
of highways, and his official duties were 
always most capably and satisfactorily per- 
formed. He and his family are members 
of the Lutheran church of Fort Dodge and 
are people of prominence in the com- 
munitv where they reside. 



P. L. LARSON. 



One of the most progressive and en- 
ergetic business men of Fort Dodge is P. L. 
Larson, the well known proprietor of the 
Larson Greenhouse on the northwest corner 
o-f Seventeenth street and Central avenue. 
He was born at Malmo, in the southern 
part of Sweden, July 6, 1 S65, and was 
reared and educated in that country. He 
also served one year in the Swedish army. 
When a boy of fourteen he was apprenticed 
to a florist, and in due time thoroughly 
mastered the business to which he has since 
devoted the greater part of his time and 
attention. So competent was he at the age 
of twenty years he was placed in charge of 
a line greenhouse in his native land, and 
held the position two years. 

On the 1st of May, 1S87, Mr. Larson 
came to the United States and first located 
in Litchfield, Minnesota, where he spent a 
short time, and then went to Omaha, Ne- 
braska, where he worked in a greenhouse 
until 1891. He next went to Denver, 
Colorado, and became a partner in a florist 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3«9 



business there. At the end of two years he 
removed to Sioux City, Iowa, where lie had 

charge of a greenhouse until coming to 
Fort Dodge in July, 1897. In the mean- 
time he was married in Denver, on the 30th 
of August. (894, to -Miss Katherina An- 
derson, who was born in Sweden. 

On first coming to Fort Dodge Mr. 
Larson leased the greenhouses for two 
vears. but in 1899 purchased his present 
property, which he has greatly improved 
and enlarged, now having sixteen thousand 
square feet of glass. He now owns five 
lots — one hundred and sixty-two and a half 
feet on Seventeenth street and two hundred 
and fifty feet on Central avenue — which are 
covered by seven greenhouses one hundred 
and twenty-five feet in length. The first of 
these is devoted to smilax. palms and ferns. 
the second to tea roses, the third to general 
propagating, the third and fourth to carna- 
tions, the fifth to chrysanthemums in season 
and bedded plants, the sixth to American 
beauty roses, and the seventh to carnations 
and violets. The heat for these buildings 
is furnished by a fifty-horse-power engine, 
and recently a steam trap has been put in. 
this being a device for taking the condensed 
steam from the pipes. Mr. Larson's office 
is a building eighteen by twenty-four feet 
in dimensions, and is located on the north- 
east corner of Seventeenth street and Cen- 
tral avenue, while the boiler and workshop 
is located at the rear just west of the green- 
houses. In the workshop, which is a build- 
ing fourteen by one hundred and twelve 
feet, all the potting and packing is done. 
Mr. Larson raises large crops of lettuce 
and parsley all the year round, and in the 
spring grows all kinds of garden plants 
and radishes for market. During the winter 
be confines his trade to cut flowers, palms 
and ferns, and enjoys an excellent trade 



extending over a large radius around Fort 
Dodge. In his business he employs four 
men all the year round. His greenhouses 
are equipped with the latest improved ap- 
pliances, including the latest ventilating 
machine, by" which the entire roof can be 
raised by simply turning a crank, lie is 
very progressive in his methods, is an en- 
ergetic, enterprising and reliable business 
man, and well deserves the success that has 
ci me to him, it being due entirely h 
own unaided efforts and good business abil- 
ity. His residence is located just nortb 1 i 
the greenhouses. Fraternally Mr. Larsi 11 
is a member of the Royal Arcanum. 



JOHN H. KELLY. 

By industry and good management Mr. 
Kelly has attained to an enviable position 
among the farmers of Webster county. A 
native of County Clare. Ireland, he was 
horn of Irish parents, who never came to 
America and who are now deceased. When 
fifteen years of age he came to the United 
States, ami up to 1870 was variously em- 
ployed by the day. He understood the ad- 
vantage of application and faithfulness, and 
his life has been attuned to these admirable 
underlying principles. 

In May. 187'). Mr. Kelly married Ellen 
Hanrahan, a native of County Limerick. 
Ireland, who came to the United States 
when eighteen years of age and worked out 
in different families up to the time of her 
marriage. Her parents, Roger and Jo- 
hannali Hanrahan. had a large family of 
children, and of these the following are liv- 
ing: Bridget, the wife of Jerry Greehey. 
of Ireland; Daniel, who married Kate Lon- 
egan and lives in Duncombe, Iowa; Will- 
iam, who married Mary Reedy and liv< 



390 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



a farm north of Duncombe : Roger, who 
still lives in Ireland; and John, who mar- 
ried Mary O'Connor and runs a shoe store 
in Webster City. Eleven children have 
been born to Mr. and Airs. Kelly, nine of 
whom are now living: Mary, born August 
22, 1877; John, January 30, 1879; Josie, 
.May 28, 1880: William. May 5. 1882; 
Daniel. May 1, 1885; Catherine, Novem- 
ber 4. 1883; Nellie, April 16, 1888; Norah, 
January 10. 1890; and Agnes, October 7, 
1893. Two of the children died in in- 
fancy. 

For two years after his marriage Mr. 
Kelly was section foreman on the New 
York Central Railway, after which he came 
to Iowa, and in March of 1878 settled on 
land near the town of Duncombe, which 
at that time consisted of a depot and store 
anil gave very little promise for the future. 
His nearest neighbor was one and a half 
miles distant, and be started in to formulate 
prosperitv with almost nothing in the world 
save willing hands and plenty of determi- 
nation. With the gains permitted by his 
frugality and wise management he pur- 
chased some land, to which lie added from 
time to time, until at present he is the owner 
of three hundred and twenty acres, consti- 
tuting one of the finest properties in Web- 
ster county. He has a pleasant and com- 
fortable home, and is able to enjoy not only 
the necessities but many of the luxuries of 
life. He is a member of the Roman Catho- 
lic church, anil is a Democrat in political 
affiliation. 



GEORGE W. FLOWER. 

The family represented by Mr. Flower, 
of Washington township, traces its an- 
cestry to England, whence his grandfather 
emigrated to America and settled in New 



York state. His father, Lewis Flower, 
was born and reared in New York, and 
there followed the occupation of a con- 
tractor and builder until his death about 
1851. In early manhood he married Eliza- 
beth Valentine, a native of New York and 
a life-long resident of that state. Born of 
their union were eight children, namely: 
William, who married Miss Martha Watts 
and is living near the old homestead in 
Queens county. New York; George W., of 
this sketch; Charles, who enlisted in the 
United States navy, but subsequently en- 
tered the regular army and was killed while 
in service in the west ; Zeblin, who was 
also killed in the army; Benjamin F., who 
resides in San Francisco, California ; Hen- 
rietta and Lula. who died in childhood; 
and John H. a resident of Salem, Ore- 
yon. Some time after the death of Lewis 
Flower his widow was again married, be- 
coming the wife of S. M. Havens. After 
the death of her second husband, she came 
west and visited her children. Inn finally 
returned to New York, where her death 
occurred in September. 1898. 

In Queens count}". New York, where he 
was horn December 29. 1844. George W. 
Flower received his primary education in 
public schools, and he afterward studied in 
the schools of Westchester county, that 
state. At the age of fifteen years he began 
to lie self-supporting and from that day 
forward earned his own livelihood. At the 
opening of the Civil war his sympathies 
were strongly on the side of the Union, 
and he determined to serve his country by 
fighting against the Confederacy. On 
June 20. 1861, he enlisted in the army, at 
Brooklyn, New York, and was mustered 
into Company G, Sixty-seventh Xew York 
Infantry, which was often called Henry 
Ward Beecher's regiment. For a time he 




G. W. FLOWER 




MRS. G. W. FLOWER 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



395 



was stationed at Fort Schuyler and later 
was transferred to Fort Hamilton and 
thence to Washington, D. C where he 
served under General Scott and then under 
General McClellan. Later the regiment 
was successively under Generals Meade, 
Ulysses S. Grant, Joseph Hooker and Am- 
brose E. Burnside. In all the engagements 
of the Army of the Potomac up to- the bat- 
tle of Petersburg, this regiment bore a 
valiant part and aided the northern troops 
in gaining a decisive victor)- on more than 
one closely-contested battlefield. On the 
expiration of the term of service, Mr. 
Flower was sent to Washington and thence 
to Brooklyn, where he was mustered out on 
the 4th of July, 1864. During his entire 
service, covering a period of three years, he 
was never wounded or taken prisoner, al- 
though he was often exposed to shot and 
shell from the Confederate ranks. 

At Shelter Island, Suffolk county, Xew 
York, December 3, 1866, Mr. Flower mar- 
ried Elizabeth Manwaring, who was born 
in Connecticut, May 6, 1843. She was a 
daughter of Charles D. and Elizabeth M. 
(Hughes) Manwaring. natives of Connec- 
ticut, who, after their marriage, removed 
to Xew York anil resided in that state 
until their death. In their family were 
four daughters and six sons, namely : John, 
who married Fidelia Loper and makes his 
home in Xew York; Charles, who died at 
the age of twenty-three years ; Henry, 
whose home is in Connecticut; Frances, 
widow of Louis Mulford and a resident 
of Xew York state; Elizabeth, now Mrs. 
Flower; Josephine, who married James 
Ward, of Shelter Island, Xew York; Ellen, 
wife of Gabriel Edwards, of Amagansett, 
Long Island; Alexander, unmarried, resid- 
ing at Shelter Island. Xew York: Arthur, 
who died at fourteen years of aae ; and Gil- 



bert, who married Alice Griffin and makes 
his home at Shelter Island. Eight children 
were born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. 
Flower, namely; Addie T., who died at 
the age of nine years; Lillian G., who mar- 
ried Lewis Weldon. and resides at Eagle 
Grove, Iowa; Minnie V., now Mrs. Ed- 
ward Daniels, who has three children, Ger- 
trude, Lloyd and Earl, and resides in Wash- 
ington township, Webster county; Mary 
E., Mrs. John Xagle, of Freeport, Illinois, 
who has two daughters, Flossie and Iraie ; 
George W-, an expert machinist, employed 
at Freeport, Illinois; Arthur H.. who re- 
sides with his parents: Walter G., who 
married Alice Young and resides in Ham- 
ilton county. Iowa, on a farm; and Gilbert 
R.. who is with his parents. 

For a time after his return from the 
army Mr. Flower pursued the occupation 
of a farmer in Xew- York, but. believing 
greater opportunities awaited him further 
west, he came to Iowa in 1872 and settled 
in Dubuque. One year later he moved to 
Delaware county and after three vears, in 
[876, established his home on section 26, 
Washington township. Webster county, 
where he has since resided. The forty 
acres forming his original purchase com- 
prised raw prairie land, which necessitated 
the hardest labor on his part before it was 
broken and placed in a condition to respond 
to cultivation. Energy and perseverance. 
however, in time made of the tract one of 
the most valuable for miles around. As his 
means increased he invested in additional 
property and is now the owner of two hun- 
dred and forty acres, lying principally on 
sections 25 and 26, all of which is improved 
farm land. His crops of grain are large, 
but are not sold in the markets, being held 
to furnish winter feed for his stock, of 
which he has a considerable number of 



396 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



head, all high grade. It has been said by 
many that bis stuck are as fine as can be 
found in the township and certainly those 
who are familiar with the stock business 
would at once judge these to be of the best 
strains the west produces. As he is closely 
engrossed by the management of his farm 
and the care of his live stock. Mr. Flower 
has no leisure for participation in public 
affairs, and has hitherto refused to accept 
official positions, although he keeps posted 
concerning the problems before our nation 
and is a stanch supporter of Republican 
principles. 



REV. FATHER RYAN". 

Among the most promising Roman 
Catholic churches in Webster county is the 
church of Saint Joseph at Duncomhe. an in- 
stitution worth}' of special mention because 
of the extent of its charities and the steady 
increase of its membership and general use- 
fulness. Like so many of the parishes des- 
tined for large accomplishment in promoting 
morality and peace, this offshoot of the 
greatest ecclesiastical denomination in the 
world had a small beginning, and its rise to 
its present importance among the uplifting 
influences of a populous district is due to the 
faithfulness of its congregation, and the de- 
votion of the fathers who have directed its 
undertakings. The band of worshippers in 
whose minds and hearts was conceived the 
potent necessity accomplished their object in 
1889, at which time the present completed 
structure was ready for any emergency, and 
a tangible and practical habitation was pro- 
vided for the continuance of ambitious plans 
for well doing. Father Garland was in 
charge until 1893, when Father O'Brien was 
appointed and continued in charge until the 



fall of 1898. Father Martin Murray then 
received temporary appointment and re- 
mained here until January, 1899, when Fa- 
ther Leahv assumed charge and ministered 
to the spiritual wants of members until May, 
1900, when he was promoted to the more 
important charge at Otter Creek, Jackson 
county, Iowa. At that time Father Ryan, 
the present pastor, came with his earnestness 
and faith, and has since wrought exceeding 
well in many directions, and won the grati- 
tude and good-will of all with whom he has 
l>een associated. 

A native of County Tipperarv, Ireland, 
Father Ryan was born April 11, 1864', and 
his father is still living in his native land. 
His primary classical education was acquired 
at the local Irish schools, after which he en- 
tered the College of Saint Patrick, at 
Thurles, from which he was graduated June 
29, 1888. After his ordination he availed 
himself of the larger possibilities of Amer- 
ica, and upon locating in Dubuque, Iowa, 
September 6, 1888, was appointed professor 
of the College of Saint Joseph, a position 
maintained by him for six years. On Sep- 
tember 1 _', 1894, he was appointed to- a pas- 
torate in Delmar, Clinton count)-, Iowa, and 
on May 20, 1900, came to Duncomhe, with 
the most enobling influences of which he has 
since been actively identified. 



C. L. GATES. 

The high standing of the public institu- 
tions of Webster county is due largely to the 
excellent character of the men placed over 
their management, and illustrative of this 
fact is the wise control of C. L. Gates, super- 
intendent of the Webster county farm. A 
native of Paw Paw, Lee county, Illinois, Mr. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



397 



Gates was born October 13. 1848, a son of 
Erastus and Martha (Page) Gates, natives 
of Ohio. After the marriage of the parents 
in Ohio they removed to Illinois about 1840, 

and settled in Lee county, where the father 
engaged in the mercantile business until 
1852. He then removed to California, where 
his death occurred in [876, his wife having 
died in ( )hio, in [856. ] le was a Republican, 
and a member of the Advent church. To 
this worthy couple were born six children, 
namely: Edwin, who married Polly Robin- 
son and lives at Paw Paw, Illinois; Ellen. 
Who is the wife of William Rawdon, and 
lives in California; Jane, who died in 1883. 
at the age of forty-two years; C. L, our sub- 
ject ; George, who married in Ohio and lives 
in Democrary, Ohio; and Llewellyn, who 
went to California and has not since been 
heard from. 

At the age of sixteen C. L. Gates dis- 
continued his studies at the public schools of 
Paw Paw. Illinois, and in April, iSf>2, en- 
listed in Company C, Fifty-eighth Illinois 
Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Lynch 
Coudy. He first went to Chicago and from 
there to Springfield. Illinois, from which 
city the regiment was sent to Memphis, Ten- 
nessee, where they joined the Sixteenth 
Army Corps under General A. J. Smith. In 
their travels they visited Holly Springs. 
Mississippi, and Oxford, in pursuit of Gen- 
eral Bragg, and upon returning went to 
Cairo and Nashville, Tennessee, and East- 
port. Mississippi; from Xew Orleans 
crossed to Fort Fisher, and from there went 
to Blakely, near Mobile. Alabama, and after 
the battle at the latter town went to Mont- 
gomery, Alabama, and to Chattanooga, Ten- 
nessee, then back to Springfield. Illinois, 
where Mr. Gates was discharged, in April. 
1865, ha\ ing served three years in the Union 
armv. 



After the war Mr. Gates returned to 
Paw Paw, Illinois, and engaged in farming 
on rented land in Lee county. At Malta. 
Dekalb county. Illinois, October 10. [868, 
he married Ida M. Collins, who was born in 
Carrollton, Orleans county. Xew York. May 
27, 1852. Mrs. Gates is a daughter of 
Henry and Deborah (Simpson) Collins, na- 
tives respectively of Scotland and New York. 
The parents lived in Xew York until 1858, 
about which time the father, who had been 
engaged in the mercantile business, died. 
The mother came to Dekalb county, Illi- 
nois, in [860, and in 1862 married Edwin 
I olby, a native of Oswego county, New 
"\ ork. Mr. Colby died in Illinois, September 
30, [889, and his wife is now living in Lee 
county, Illinois. By her first union the 
mother had two children: Ida, the wife of 
C. L Gates, and Alma, the wife of Lorenzo 
Abby, of Clear Lake. Iowa. Of the second 
union the following children were born: 
Sherman, who is married and lives in Illi- 
nois; Eddie, who is married and lives 
in Shabbona, Illinois; Archie, who mar- 
ried Lucy McGrady, and lives in Lee 
county. Illinois; Luna, who is the wife 
of George Fleming, and lives in Malta. 
Illinois; and Xellie. who is the wife 
of George Elbridge of Malta, Illinois. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Gates have been born eight 
children, namely: Allie, born in Dekalb 
county. Illinois, January I, 1869, married 
James Winter, and lives in Utica. Missouri; 
Charles, born in Shabbona. Dekalb county, 
Illinois, March 30, 1873. married Xellie 
Lambert, by whom he has one child, Ida. 
and lives in North Dakota; Xellie. born at 
Scranton, Greene county, Iowa, July 23, 
[875, lives with her parents: Harry, born 
in Scranton. September 8, 1877. is engaged 
in the railroad business in Council Bluffs, 
Iowa; Kittie, born in Scranton, February 1. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



1879, is teaching school; George, born in 
Otho township, Webster county, Iowa, Feb- 
ruary 4, 1885, lives with his parents; Frank, 
born in Otho township. April 2, 1886, and 
Freddie, horn in Otho township, June 24, 
1888, are both at home; and a babe, who 
died in infancy. 

For about five years after his marriage 
Mr. Gates lived on a farm in Illinois, after 
which he removed to Scranton, Greene coun- 
ty, Iowa, ami lived on rented land until 1882. 
He then became identified with Webster 
cainty, Iowa, where he bought eighty acres 
of land which he improved and lived upon 
until he was appointed to his present posi- 
tion of superintendent of the county poor 
farm, in 1895. His administration has been 
well received throughout, and very little of 
the fault has been found which one naturally 
associates with institutions of the kind. Mr. 
Gates is a Republican in political affiliation. 
and is fraternally a member of the United 
WOrkmen of America. From time to time 
considerable property has come into his pos- 
session, and he still owns a farm of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres at Clear Lake, Iowa. 

The county farm, of which Mr. Gates is 
now superintendent, was ushered upon its 
era of usefulness in 1874. and is located 
twelve miles northeast of Callender. Will- 
iam Crandal was the first superintendent, 
and at that time the main building alone ex- 
isted, containing seven rooms. Mr. Crandel 
\\a^ succeeded by Michael Dougherty, whose 
place was filled by J. M. Hood, since the 
regime of whom Mr. Gates has had entire 
control. The room at the disposal of pa- 
tients has been materially enlarged, so that 
now there are forty-eight rooms and two 
hundred and eighty acres of land, with large 
barns, granaries, and all necessary adjuncts 
for the extensive carrying on of general 
farming and stock-raising. The buildings 



are in good condition and are kept scrupu- 
lous! v clean, and every where are evidences 
of a master hand who is not only an admir- 
able manager, but who is as well a consider- 
ate observer of the needs of those who are 
placed under his protection. 



AMUND HAXSOX. 

Like man}- other residents within the 
bounds of Webster county this gentleman is 
of foreign birth, but America has no more 
patriotic or loyal citizen. His early home 
was on the other side of the Atlantic, for he 
was born in Norway, in October, 1833, and 
was there reared to manhood. Before leav- 
ing his native land he was married to Miss 
Siiuinsoii, and to them one child was born. 

In 1870 this little family emigrated to 
the new world, and on landing in this coun- 
try proceeded at once to Clinton county, 
Iowa, where Mr. Hanson worked on a farm 
for four years, having previously followed 
that occupation in the land of his birth. He 
then came to Webster county in 1874, and 
purchased eighty acres of his present farm 
on section 3, Roland township, which at that 
time was all wild and unimproved, but acre 
after acre was soon placed under the plow 
until it became a highly cultivated tract. 
Later he bought an adjoining eighty acres; 
has set out an orchard and shade trees ; has 
erected good buildings; and to-day has a 
well-improved place. 

Air. and Mrs. Hanson have become the 
parents of two children, namely : Mary, who 
is now the wife of Allen Gunderson, of Min- 
nesota, and has five children. Albert, Amiel. 
Alisner. Bertha and Jennie; and Caroline, 
wife of Christ Hendrickson, whose farm ad- 
joins that of our subject, and by whom she 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



40 1 ■ 



has one daughter, Gertie. Our subject and 
his \\ ife are members of the Lutheran church 
of Callender, and he is a stanch supporter oi 
the Republican party and its principles. 



F. G. PETERS" >X. 



Enterprise and progress are the keynotes 
to the career of F. G. Peterson, postmaster 
and business man of Moorland. A native of 
Norway, he was born April 10, 1861, and is 
a son of Ole and ( tlena Peterson, who were 
also born in that country. When five years 
of age Mr. Peterson came to America with 
his parents, who settled in Fulton township, 
Webster county. Iowa, and here he attended 
the public schools during the leisure of the 
winter months, and worked in the harvest 
field during the summer. His father was a 
blacksmith by trade, and the son naturally 
availed himself of the opportunity to place 
himself in touch with this useful occupation, 
and he also learned the carpenters' trade. 

On December 30. 1883, Air. Peterson 
married Sarah IJlinck. who was born in 
Davenport, [owa, June 1, 1856, a daughter 
of Fred and Elizabeth (Thorn) Bliuck, na- 
tives respectively of Germanv and Ohio. 
Her parents were married in Davenport, 
Iowa, and the father eventually went to Cal- 
ifornia, where he died. The mother died 
February 5, 1896. She had married again. 
her second husband being William Rowe, 
with whom she lived until his death in Dav- 
enport, shortly before her own demise. Of 
the first union there were four children, two 
of whom are living: George, who married 
Anna Barwize, lives in Herald. Texas; and 
Frank, wdio is married, lived in Scott coun- 
ty, then in Omaha, and later in Montana. 
Of the second union of the mother there 



were three children; Joseph, who married 
Sarah Henderson, lives in Webster City; 
Sarah is the wife of F. 1 i. Peterson : and Ed- 
ward, who married Clara Smith, lives in 
Webster county. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson 
have three children: Grace I)., who was 
born December 1. 1878, and now lives in 
Des Moines, [owa; Alice, born November 
u. [889; and Gladys, born March 17. [894. 
Fred and Joseph died in infancy. 

\fter his marriage Mr. Peterson leased 
land in Webster county, and in [880 houghl 
forty acres of land on section 34, Fulton 
township, where he lived for two vears. He 
then took up his residence in Moorland, 
bought land and built a home, and also in- 
vested in several business lots, upon 1 ne of 
which he erected the building in which is lo- 
cated the postoffice. He conducted a hotel 
i'ir live years, after which he engaged in the 
implement business in Moorland, and in time 
worked up one of the largest trades in this 
line in the county. At present he carries all 
well-known makes of wagons and imple- 
ments, including' the Deering and McCor- 
mick goods, the Gailbraith Company's goods 
of Des Moines, and the Bain, the Newton, 
and the Weber wagons. He also handles the 
Baker. Anchor, and Ilreed buggies, and in 
smaller commodities handles pumps, wind- 
mills, and harness. Pie has a thorough un- 
derstanding of popular needs in his special 
line of business, and his courtesy, considera- 
tion, integrity and general obligingness have 
won for him a deservedly large and increas- 
ing trade among the best people in the 
count}'. 

A great deal of the influence exerted b\ 
Mr. Peterson has been along political lines. 
and he has shown particular aptitude for the 
discharge of public responsibility. As a 
stanch Republican he served as assessor for 
six years, and has been a member of the 



402 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



school board for twelve years, as well as 
road supervisor for two years. In 1896, 
under President McKinley's administration, 
he was appointed postmaster of Moorland, 
and the affairs of the office are still managed 
by him with satisfaction to all concerned. 
He is foremn >st in promoting- all worthy 
efforts at municipal improvement, and enter- 
tains the most substantial and progressive 
ideas regarding public affairs in general. 
Mr. Peterson has a large circle of friends in 
Moorland, and even those who differ from 
him politically credit him with being a pub- 
lic servant and business man in whom all 
may trust, and who is fashioning for himself 
a clean and untarnished record. 



WILLIAM MUNN. 



It is doubtful if any man in Webster 
county has a more comprehensive knowledge 
of the coal mining of Iowa than has William 
Munn, jne of the most substantial farmers 
of Pleasant Valley township. He was born 
in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, November 
25, 185 1, and is a son of Robert and Cather- 
ine (Gilmore) Munn, natives respectively of 
County Donegal and County Fermanagh, 
Ireland. The parents were married in Scot- 
land and came to America in 1851, the voy- 
age on the sailing vessel lasting six weeks 
and three days. They settled at Pittston, Lu- 
zerne county, Pennsylvania, and remained in 
that part of the state for about eleven years, 
the father in the meantime engaging in o >al 
mining. , They afterwards settled in Athens 
county, Ohio, where they remained for six 
months, and were later in Perry county. 
Ohio, for a couple of years. In Muskingum 
county, of the same state, they staid for a 
year, and in September, 1865, settled in Put- 
nam county, West Virginia, which continued 



to he their home until September, 1869. 
They then went to Des Moines, Iowa, and 
remained for ten months, and became iden- 
tified with Webster county, Iowa, August 1, 
1870. As heretofore during all of his active 
life, the father here continued to engage in 
coal mining up to. the time of his death in 
1884, his wife surviving him until the fol- 
lowing year. He was a Democrat in politi- 
cal affiliation, ami was a member oi the Ro- 
man Catholic church. To this earnest and 
kindly couple were born eleven children, of 
whom William is the oldest; James married 
Mary Mericle and lives in Coalville, Iowa; 
Ellen is the wife of John Cooney and lives 
in Washington township. Wehster county; 
Mary died in infancy; Catherine is the wife 
of James McMenamin, of Washington town- 
ship; Patrick is single and lives in Montana; 
Robert is also unmarried and lives in Colo- 
rado ; John is unmarried and lives in Cooper 
township, Webster county; Elizabeth is the 
wife of William Smith and lives in Carbon, 
Iowa; [Margarita lives in Washington town- 
ship; and Thomas lives in Colorado. 

William Munn attended school in Perry 
and Muskingum counties, and at Zanesville, 
Ohio, but at the age of eleven started out to 
aid the family fortunes by supporting him- 
self. He naturally became interested in his 
father's occupation of coal mining, and 
worked in the same mines with him until 
twenty-eight years of age. 

On January 12, 1880, he married Jennie 
Fitzgearld at Corpus Christi church, the 
ceremonv being performed by Rev. Father 
Lenihan, now bishop of Cheyenne, Wyo- 
ming. Mrs. Munn was born in Xenia, Ohio, 
February 27, 186 1, a daughter of John and 
Bridget (Collins) Fitzgearld, natives of 
County Kerry, Ireland. The parents were 
married in Xenia, Ohio, the father having 
emigrated to America in 1851, the mother 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



403 



coming over the latter part of the same year. 
These young people had known each other 
in the old country, and renewed their ac- 
quaintance in Ohio, with the result of their 
marriage. After their marriage they lived 
in Greene county until 1869, removing then 
to Clyde, Sandusky county, Ohio, where 
they lived until 1876, and in September of 
that year came to Iowa. Here the father 
bought forty acres of land in Washington 
township, upon which he lived until his 
death, in 1885. Before taking to farming he 
had engaged in railroading. The mother is 
now living on the old homestead. They were 
the parents of three daughters: Jennie; 
Mary, the wife of Thomas Scott, of Pleasant 
Yallev township: and Catherine, the wife of 
Nicholas Hanan, of Washington township. 
To Mr. and Airs. Munn have been born the 
fi Jli wing children : Kittie S., born January 
23. 1881; Frank, January 7, 1883; Robert 
A., January 4, 1885; Clement J., February 
27, 1887; Mary C, July 2_\ 1889; Ray- 
mond J., May 18, 1891 : Mark A., September 
18, 1894; Harold M., < Ictober jo. 1897; and 
Noel U., February 9, 1901. 

After his marriage Mr. Munn settled on 
the farm which he n< >w 1 >ccupies, and which 
consists of eighty acres of finely improved 
land, besides an additional forty acres. He 
has one of the best equipped farms in Web- 
ster county, and has a splendid rural home. 
fine barns, and all modern improvements. 
Although independent in national politics he 
has filled numerous positions of trust within 
the gift of his fellow townsmen. He is a 
member of the Church of the Assumption, 
at Coalville. While the chief occupation of 
Mr. Munn at the present time is farming 
and stock-raising, he is known far and 
wide as one of the best posted men on Iowa 
mining in the state. He assisted at the 
opening of the first large coal mine in Web- 



ster county, and in the opening of the large 
coal veins near Des Moines. lie loaded and 
shipped the first carload of cannel coal that 
went out of Webster county, and broke the 
ground for the first gypsum shafts in the 
count}', this happening on December 9. 1895, 
under the generalship of Thomas Collins, 
the promoter of the enterprise. Air. Munn 
was the first foreman for Mr. Collins, and he 
has since seen the erection of all the gypsum 
mills in the count}'. When he first came 
here twenty men could dig all the coal used 
on the Illinois Central road between Water- 
loo and Sioux City, but at the present time it 
is doubtful if two thousand men could do all 
the work required. Fie first worked in the 
state for John F. Duncombe, for whom the 
town of Duncombe is named, the Senator 
being at the time a large mine owner, and 
one of the most enthusiastic developers of 
this particular resource of Iowa. Mr. Munn 
is a man of sterling worth and fine charac- 
ter, and bis services to bis adopted state 
have been limited only by the number of 
vears he has lived here. 



FRANK FIDILK K. 



A property of particular value because 
of its combined agricultural and coal de- 
veloping possibilities is that of Frank 
Fidilick, located on section 1, Fulton town- 
ship, Webster count}'. Iowa. This genial 
and successful citizen was born in Bohemia, 
February 26, 1852, a son of James and 
Mary Fidilick, who came to America in 
1864, and located in Cleveland. Ohio. 
Flere the father and son worked in a pail 
factor}- for nearly six years, and in 1871 
shifted their fortunes to Yankton county, 
South Dakota, where they homesteaded 



404 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



land and lived thereon for six months. A 
later place of residence was Cedar Rapids, 
Iowa, which was reached by wagon and 
teams, and there the}' lived for six months. 
In the family besides Frank Fidilick were 
three daughters and two sons, namely : Joe, 
a resident of fdaho; James, who lives in 
Callendef, Iowa; Anna, who is the wife of 
Frank Dursmit, of Moorland; Mary, who is 
the wife of Frank Fibaker, of Boone; and 
Sophia, who is the wife of Joe Fihaker, of 
Fulton township, Webster county. 

The education of Frank Fidilick was 
acquired in the public schools of Bohemia, 
supplemented by further study in the schi * As 
of Ohio. While living in Cedar Rapids. 
Iowa. January 26, 1879, he married Rose 
Frank, a country woman, horn in Bohemia, 
January 26, 1862. Her parents died in their 
native land. Mrs. Fidilick came to America 
in 1S76 with relatives, and lived out as a 
domestic for three years or until the time oi 
her marriage. She has a brother, Joe 
Frank, who lives near Cowrie, and a sister. 
Emma Wheatlick, who lives in San Jose, 
California. Five children have been born 
to Mr. Fidilick and wife, namely: Frank, 
born November 6, 1881 ; William. May 6, 
1884; Emma, May i<>. [887; Agnes, Sep- 
tember 28. 1892; and Ablia, July 31, 1895. 

After his marriage Mr. Fidilick worked 
in the coal mines at Kalo, where he put up 
a shanty and boarded his fellow craftsmen 
for a couple of years. He then rented a 
farm for five years, and afterward bought 
forty acres of land in Fulton township, 
which he eventually disposed of and pur- 
chased one hundred and twenty acres in 
Elkhorn township. At the expiration of 
ten years this land was also sold, and he 
bought the two hundred and sixty-six 
acres upon which he now lives. 

The farm upon which Mr. Fidilick has 



expended so much thought and labor is well 
improved and has all modern labor-saving 
devices. His home is a comfortable and 
commodious one, and the barns and general 
buildings are consistent with the demands 
created by abundant harvests and large 
stock-raising enterprises. The farm is un- 
derlaid with coal, a forty-two-inch vein, 
sixty feet deep, which he will develop as 
opportunity affords. In the meantime he is 
devoting his time to the general improve- 
ment of his land and to the feeding of large 
numbers of cattle and hogs. A Republican 
in politics, he has held numerous important 
positions of trust in his neighborhood, such 
as school director and road commissioner, 
and while living in Elkhorn township he 
was similarly honored with public trust. 
He is among the substantial men of the 
county, and his uprightness and devotion to 
the general well being of the community is 
unquestioned. 



SAMUEL HEFFNER. 

The genealogy of the Heffner family is 
traced back to Andreas Heffner, of Eber- 
stadt, a village four miles south of Darm- 
stadt, in Germany. On the ship Patience, 
under Captain Hugh Steele, as one of two 
hundred and fifty passengers from Wur- 
temberg and Palatine, lie crossed the At- 
lantic, landing in America September 19, 
1749, after which he settled in Pennsyl- 
vania. Heinrich Heffner, son of Andreas, 
ami grandfather of our subject, was a 
Revolutionary hero, serving under General 
Washington during his campaign in Xew 
Yi irk and the retreat through New Jersey. 
With his brave comrades he suffered the 
hardships at Valley Forge during the win- 




SAMUEL HEFFNER 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



409 



ter of 1777. Shortly after this time lie was 
captured by the British and held as a pris- 
oner of war for two years before being- 
exchanged. He married Maria Eva Kelch- 
ner, November 28, 1752. Among their de- 
scendants was Samuel HefYner, Si'., who 
was born in Weisenburg, Lehigh count}-, 
Pennsylvania, and who folli wed the tan- 
ning business until his death, September 14, 
1872. The religion of his ancestors he 
made his own and held membership in the 
German Lutheran church. Politically he 
voted with the Democratic party. By his 
marriage to Kate Folck, -who was born in 
1803 and died in 1883, he had eleven chil- 
dren, Samuel, of this sketch, being the eld- 
est. Henry, the second born, who is living 
in Trexlertown, Lehigh county, Pennsyl- 
vania, married Rosalinda Smith and has 
two children, Alar}- A. and Emeline. 
George makes his home in Allentown. Penn- 
sylvania. Lydia H., wife of Joseph Kuhns, 
of Seipstown, Lehigh county. Pennsylvania, 
has seven children. Adam C, Harvey J.. 
Milton S., Annie L., Martha L., Savanna 
A. and John H. Daniel died, unmarried, 
in Webster City, Iowa, October 29, 1893. 
Charles, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, mar- 
ried Caroline Barto. and the}' have four 
children, Annie B., Jennie D., Frank S. and 
Carrie. David, of Allentown, married Al- 
mira J. Schaffer and has six children: Mary 
Alice, Robert S., John A., Ida S.. William, 
who d.ied in infancy, and Esther. Peter, of 
Fogelsville, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, 
married Fianna Woodring and has < me 
daughter, Katie L. Mary Ann, twin sister 
cf Peter, is unmarried and lives in Allen- 
town. Meno married Isabella Walbert, lo- 
wborn he had two children, Lily L ami 
Clista M. He died at Vienna, Fairfax 
county, Virginia, in 1885. Catherine Maria 
died in infancy. Solomon, of Seipstown, 



Pennsylvania, married Amanda Mover and 
lias three children, Samuel M., Daniel H. 
and Alfred S. 

Samuel Heffner, who forms the subject 
of this article, was born in Lehigh county, 
Pennsylvania. January 23, 1829. Pri- 
marily educated in his native county, he was 
later given the advantages of study in 
Freeland Seminary, in Pennsylvania, where 
he gained a thorough knowledge of the or- 
dinal"}- branches of study. In boyhood he 
was made conversant with the German 
language, and always afterward was a flu- 
ent speaker of both German and English. 
Deciding to enter the medical profession, 
Ik- began the stud}- of that science, continued 
in the same until completing a regular 
course of stud}-, after which he carried on 
a general practice. Coming to Iowa in an 
early day. he was afterward identified with 
the history of Webster county, where he 
was a citizen of prominence and influence. 
In 1854 he. purchased from the govern- 
ment a homestead of one hundred and sixty 
acres, upon which he erected a cabin built 
of logs and covered with shingles hewn by 
his own hands. Here he lived until i860, 
when he rented his farm and for the fol- 
lowing thirteen years roamed about among 
the wilds of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana 
and Idaho, being many times with no other 
companions than his faithful oxen and the 
treacherous Indian, in whom he found a 
warm and confiding friend. In 1873 he- 
re-turned to his farm in Webster county, ti 
which he made such additions as his humble 
means would permit. Upon one of these 
newly acquired possessions he erected a 
small, sod-covered shanty, in which he lived 
for ten years. During this time he endured 
every hardship known to the pioneers of 
early Iowa. Many times within this period 
he would walk to Fort Dodge, a distance of 



4-io 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



fifteen miles, being without money with 
which to buy his dinner. 

For six years Mr. Heffner served as 
county supervisor. In national elections he 
voted for Republican candidates, but in 
( ither instances he voted for the men and 
measures he thought for the best interests 
of all the people. Like his father, he was 
a faithful member of the German Lutheran 
church and continued an earnest worker in 
the same until death terminated .his long 
and useful existence, June 5, 1893. 

The marriage (if our subject united him 
with Miss Flora E. Spainhower, January 
jo. 1882, at Homer. Hamilton county, 
h wa. She was born November 28, 1858, 
and was a daughter of John W. and Lydia 
M. ( Miller) Spainhower, both natives of 
Stokes county, North Carolina, the former 
burn September 2. 1823, and the latter June 
24, [824. They were married in their native 
county. April 20, 1848. where they contin- 
ued to reside for man}' years afterward. 
On March 31. 1875. they arrived in Webster 
county. Iowa, where Mr. Spainhower first 
leased land and two years later bought one 
hundred and sixty acres in Washington 
township. On that farm the mother died 
July 9, 1 88 1. and from there her body was 
taken to Blanchard cemetery in Washing- 
ton township. Deprived of his wife and 
further afflicted by the loss of his eyesight, 
Mr. Spainhower left his farm and made his 
home with his children. He died September 
15, 1897, at the home of Mrs. Heffner, his 
oldest daughter, and was buried by the side 
of his wife. They were the parents of six 
children: J. V., of Maricopa county. 
Arizona, married Eleanor Crouse and has 
three children, Lydia, John and Luther. 
S. B., of Coalville, Webster county. Iowa, 
married Amanda Crouse, a sister of his 
brother's wife, and they have six children 



now living: Arthur, Alice, Minnie, Sam- 
uel, Bettie and Anna. W. H., of Watonga, 
Blaine county, Oklahoma, married Sarah 
DeWitt, who died in Webster county, Iowa, 
February 1, 1888, leaving two children, 
Ralph and Cora. A. M., of Fort Dodge, 
Iowa, was twice married, his first wife hav- 
ing been Alice Widick, who died near Le- 
high, Iowa, in November, 1887, after 
which he married Florence Lowry, and they 
have two children, George and Ethel. The 
fifth member of the family circle was Flora, 
who married Mr. Heffner. Mary R.. Air,--. 
.Monroe Blakely, resides in Maricopa coun- 
ty, Arizona, and has six children, Charles, 
Florence, Lydia, Cora, Marion and Doris. 
The five children of our subject and 
wife were born in Washington township, 
Webster county, Iowa. The eldest, John 
S., born January 11, 1883, wno ' s now man- 
aging the home farm, was graduated from 
Tobin College, June 15, 1900, and expects 
to teach school preparatory to taking up the 
study of law. The other children are: 
Floyd M., born June 24, 1884: Daniel, 
April 4, 1886; Mary E.. May 12. 1889: and 
Carl I).. May 1, 1893. Since the death of 
her husband Mrs. Heffner has, with the as- 
sistance of her oldest son. managed the 
home farm on section 2~, Washington 
township, with additional property on sec- 
tions 22 and 28, the whole aggregating four 
hundred and thirty-eight acres. On this 
homestead she has recently' erected a beau- 
tiful rural home, containing all the modern 
improvements. Other equipments of a 
model farm are to be seen there, including 
large barns, cattle sheds and granaries, and a 
specialty is made of raising high-grade 
stnek for the market. Among her other 
properties are three lots in Gilmore City, 
Iowa, and two lots in Webster City. She 
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



411 



church and a lady whose many pleasing 
attributes of mind and heart have drawn to 
her the friendship of a large circle of ac- 
quaintances. 



.MORRIS J. BAILEY. 

The commercial supremacy of Dun- 
combe is fostered and maintained by the 
large business undertakings of Morris J. 
Bailey, one of the most ambitious and suc- 
cessful grain and cattle shippers of Webster 
county. He was born in County Limerick, 
Ireland, in i860, a son of Francis and Ellen 
(Casey) Bailey, also natives of Ireland. 
The parents were married in their native 
land and came to America in 1865. and, upon 
coming to Boone county, Iowa, resided for 
a few weeks in Clinton, afterwards settling 
on a farm, where they lived for two and a 
half years. They became identified with 
Webster county in 1868, where the father 
took up river land, but later bought property 
in Washington township, where he spent the 
remainder of his life, and where his death oc- 
curred in 1888. He was a Democrat in p li- 
tics but refused to hold office of any kind, 
and he was a devoted member of the Roman 
Catholic church. The mother, who is now 
living in Duncombe, reared the following- 
children: Morris; Maggie, who lives with 
her mother ; Frank, who married Myrtle 
Bailev, and is connected with the Carbon 
Plaster Company of Fort Dodge; Katie, who 
is the wife of X. J. Wagner, a merchant at 
Duncombe; and James, who died at the age 
of twenty-two years. 

Until his sixteenth year Morris J. Bailey 
attended the public schools in Washington 
township during the winter time, and work- 
in the harvest held during the summer. As 
an independent venture he started out in rail- 



road business as sta'tion agent for the Illinois 
Central Railroad Company at Duncombe, a 
position which he held i* r about five and a 
half years. He afterwards held similar posi- 
tions at different points on the road, and was 
thus employed up to the time of his marriage, 
June 16, 1884. , 

Mrs. Bailey was formerly Bridget O'Con- 
nor, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, born in 
1862. and a daughter of Patrick O'Connor, 
who was born in Ireland. The father mar- 
ried in his native land and emigrated to 
America about 1856. and settled in Cleve- 
land, Ohio, from which city he removed to 
Dubuque, Iowa, and thence to Fort 
Dodge. He later settled on a farm in Web- 
ster county where himself and wife eventual- 
ly died. The}- were the parents of the fol- 
lowing children : Patrick, who married Ellen 
Downev, and lives in Industry, Iowa; Mag- 
gie, who is the wife of John Hannarahan, 
and lives in Webster City: Arthur L., who 
also lives in Webster City ; Bridget, who is 
the wife of Morris J. Bailey; and Nick, who 
is unmarried and is engaged in the book and 
shoe business in Webster City. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Bailey were born the 
following children : Francis. Arthur. Jo- 
seph, Ellen. Anna and Blanch. Francis died 
at the age of three years, and Joseph at the 
age of one, both being buried on the same 
day. 

For a time after his marriage Mr. Bailey 
remained in the railroad business, and then 
engaged in the grocery business in Dun- 
combe for a year ami a half. Upon the death 
of his brother, who was a partner, he dis- 
posed of the store and bought another gro- 
cery, which he later sold in order to enter 
the hardware business. A still more recent 
occupation was that of postmaster, which 
office he held for four years, and subsequent- 
ly he engaged in the elevator and grain busi- 



412 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ness, which is his present lucrative means of 
livelihood. He is the owner of a modern 
elevator of large dimensions, and has an 
enormous trade in the buying and selling 
of grain and other elevator commodities. 
He is also interested on a large scale in the 
purchase and sale of hogs and cattle. Mr. 
Bailey owns a farm of two hundred and 
forty acres in Colfax township, and also 
town lots and buildings in Buncombe, and 
is interested in the coal and lumber business. 
No mure enterprising citizen has helped 
to advance the interests of the locality, or 
has more faithfully and intelligently studied 
the needs of the commonwealth. Politically 
a Democrat, be has upheld the political 
honor of his adopted town while holding 
various responsible positions, among which 
is that of township clerk, maintained for 
thirteen years. He has also been alderman 
of Duncombe, and is president of the school 
board. Fraternally he is associated with the 
Modern Woodmen of America, the Ancient 
Order United Workmen, and the Yoeman. 
Himself and family are members of the Ro- 
man Catholic church. Mr. Bailey is a re- 
markably successful man and is indebted 
solely to his own efforts for the position 
which he now occupies. Among the numer- 
ous attributes which have strengthened his 
hold upon the hearts and common sense of 
his friends and associates is an unswerving 
integrity, a well balanced judgment, a genial 
and optimistic personality, and a heart at- 
tuned to the agreeable as well as substantial 
things of life. 



VV. F. CARVER, M. D. 

Among the younger representatives of 
the medical fraternity now engaged in prac- 
tice in Webster county, probably none stands 



higher than Dr. \Y. F. Carver, of Fort 
Dodge, who limits his practice to the diseases 
of the eye, ear, nose and throat. He was 
born in Madison county, Iowa, December 6, 
1869, and is a son of Caleb Carver, a native 
of Lee county, this state. It was about 1837 
or 1838 that the Doctor's paternal grandpar- 
ents, William and Mary Carver, removed 
from their old home in Kentucky to Iowa. 
but after spending a short time in this state, 
went to Jacksonville, Illinois, and later to 
Missouri, where they died, their remains be- 
ing interred at Joplin. In 1861 the Doctor's 
father returned to Iowa, and has since made 
his home in Madison county. He married 
Miss Elizabeth Boicourt, who was born in 
Illinois, of French ancestry, and died in 
1895. They were the parents of eight chil- 
dren, of whom seven are still living, six sons 
and one daughter. 

In the county of his nativity Dr. Carver 
was reared and educated, and there he en- 
gaged in teaching school for a time. In 
early manhood he became a registered phar- 
macist, and began the preparation for his 
chi >sen profession in the Iowa College of 
Physicians and Surgeons at Des Moines, but 
finished his course at the Hospital College of 
Medicine in Louisville. Kentucky, from 
which institution he was graduated with 
honor in 1893, with the degree of M. D., and 
was then engaged in general practice at Mur- 
ray, Clarke county, Iowa, for six vears. He 
subsequently took a special course at the 
Chicago Polyclinic and Illinois State Eye 
and Ear Infirmary, and then located in Fort 
Dodge, where he has since followed his pro- 
fession with marked success, having built Up 
quite a large and lucrative practice. Since 
locating at Fort Dodge. Dr. Carver has de- 
vi 'ted his entire time to the eye. ear. nose and 
throat and the adjustment of glasses. 

Dr. Carver was married April 4, 1894, to 




W. F. CARVER, M. D. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



415 



Miss Edith I. Bishop, a daughter of Captain 
J. F. Bishop, oi Des Moines, who is edit* r 
of the Grand Army Advocate, and Wo- 
man's Relief Corps Magazine. To them have 
been born three children, namely : Susan 
M., William Franklin. Jr., and James Clay- 
ton. 

By his ballot the Doctor supports the 
men and measures of the Republican part). 
Religiously he is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal church and fraternally is connected 
with the Masonic order and the improved 
Order of Red Men. He also belongs to the 
American Medical Association, the Iowa 
State Medical Society, and the Fort Dodge 
District Medical Society. While living in 
Clarke count)- he served two terms as county 
coroner anil was also health officer of his 
town for a time. In Clarke county — his 
former place of residence — the Doctor estab- 
lished an enviable reputation and during the 
three years of his residence in Fort Dodge he 
has become identified with the leading citi- 
zens of Webster count)- and is rapidly at- 
taining a high place in the esteem of the peo- 
ple of his acquaintance. 



JAMES B. IXGALLS. 

James B. Ingalls was born in Hancock 
county, Illinois. December 29, 1839, and 
was reared in Jefferson and Webster coun- 
ties, Iowa. During the years of youth he 
worked en a farm in the summers and at- 
tended school in winter. At Border Plains, 
January 25, 1862. he enlisted in Company 
D, Sixteenth Iowa Infantry, which was mus- 
tered into the Union service in Davenport, 
and drilled at Benton Barracks, later being 
ordered south and taking part in the battles 
of Shiloh and Corinth, and the campaign in 



front of Vicksburg under General Grant. In 
[863 he returned home on a furlough, and 

at the expiration of thirl) days rejoined the 
army at Cairo, proceeding up the Tennessee 
river to Clifton, and then across the country 
to join General Sherman at Buzzard's Roost. 
On July 22, when Hood made the move 
against the left wing 1 f Sherman's army, 
he ami eighteen other soldiers were captured 
by the Confederates and taken to Andersoti- 
ville, where he remained for sixty days, 
meantime suffering all the horrors that made 
the prison famous throughout the world. 
After his release he joined Sherman at At- 
lanta and accompanied him on the march to 
the sea, thence went to Washington and took 
part in the grand review. Next he was or- 
dered to Parkersburg. Virginia, and there 
took a boat for Louisville, Kentucky, where 
he was mustered out of the service. He was 
honorably discharged at Davenport, Iowa, 
July 26, 1865. Returning home, he resumed 
work on the farm and also was employed 
f( >r a time in railn >ading. 

The marriage of Mr. Ingalls was solem- 
nized at Border Plains, July 23, 1885, and 
united him with Mrs. China ( Hendricks) 
Crawford, who was born in Marion county,' 
Tennessee. November 5, [845, a daughter of 
Mark and Man- 1 Standerfer) Hendricks, 
natives respectively of Indiana and Tennes- 
see. Some years after their marriage Mr. 
and Mrs. Hendricks removed to Missouri, 
in 1855, and there both died, the father in 
1862 and the mother in 1X72. Their family 
consisted of ten children : Blackstone, de- 
ceased ; Anderson, who was killed while in 
the service of his country during the Civil 
war ; Caroline, Mrs. Jeremiah Prior, de- 
ceased ; Jane, widow of Lafayette Prigmore, 
and a resident of Marion county, Tennessee; 
Phrenix, who died in California: Skelton, 
who died during the Civil war; Amanda, 



416 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mrs. Josiah Conn, who died in Hickory 
county, Missouri; Harrison, who married 
Susan Steinhaugh. and lives in Indian Ter- 
ritory ; China, .Mrs. Ingalls; and Fatten, de- 
ceased. 

By her first marriage Mrs. Ingalls had 
four children. No children were horn of her 
union to Mr. Ingalls, but they have adopted 
a daughter. Winnie May, who was born in 
Lehigh, Iowa, November 14, 1885. Mrs. 
Ingalls is connected with the Order of Re- 
bekahs. and Mr. Ingalls is a member 1 f the 
Odd Fellows, and also the Grand Army of 
the Republic. They attend the Church of 
Christ in Lehigh, and contribute to its main- 
tenance. Politically he is a Republican, firm 
in his allegiance to the party, and interested 
in public affairs. His home property com- 
prises forty acres on section 25, Washington 
township, and in addition he owns property 
in Lehigh. 



THOMAS B. INGALLS. 

The homestead of Mr. Ingalls, purchased 
by him in 1 88 1, stands on sections 36 and 25, 
Washington township, and is among the val- 
uable farms of Webster county. The two 
hundred and forty acres comprising the es- 
tate have been placed under first-class culti- 
vation, and it is the owner's ambition to 
maintain a high grade of improvements, 
making of the land a model farm. To a 
large degree he inherits the qualities of 
thrift and unswerving integrity that charac- 
terized his Scotch forefathers, while from 
his maternal ancestors he inherits the Ger- 
man resourcefulness and firmness of will. 

The father of Mr. Ingalls was Abraham 
Ingalls. a native of New York state and a 
soldier in the war of iNij, bearing as brave 
a part in conquering British arms as his 



father before him had done in the Revolu- 
tion. After going to Illinois he made his 
home in McHenry county, later settling in 
Jefferson county. Iowa, and improving a 
tract of farm land. In 1854 he became a 
resident of Washington township, Webster 
count)-, Iowa, and here remained until his 
death, which occurred November 28, 1878. 
While living in Illinois he married Margaret 
Barger, who was born in Virginia and died 
in Iowa in 1866. They were the parents of 
four children, namely : James, who married 
Mrs. China Crawford, and lives in Wash- 
ington township, Webster county; Malinda, 
widow of Joel Wilson, and a resident of 
Dayton, Yamhill county, Oregon; Willie, 
who died in infancy; and Thomas B. There 
were also four children born of the father's 
previous marriagje to Mary Sea. 

Thomas B. Ingalls was born in Jefferson 
county. Iowa, March 29, 1847. He received 
his schooling- in a district school in Wash- 
ington township and the village school of 
Border Plains. After seventeen years of age 
he gave his entire time to assisting his father 
on the home farm. At Border Plains. Janu- 
ary 14, 1866, he married Ruth E. Floyd, who 
was born in Wisconsin on Christmas day of 
1849. and was one of the four children of 
Charles and Elizabeth (Brown) Floyd. She 
died December 22, 1866. The second mar- 
riage of Mr. Ingalls took place in Fort 
Dodge, Iowa, September 4. J 872, his wife 
being Victoria Thomas, who was born in 
Pennsylvania, January 18. 1855. Her par- 
ents. Asa and Elizabeth ( Knapp) Thomas, 
were natives respectively of Connecticut and 
Xew York state, and were married in Penn- 
sylvania, where her father died in 1856. 
Three vears later her mother was married 
to Stephen Whitbeck. and they then came to 
Illinois, settling in Dekalb count)- and rent- 
ing land for two years. Their next location 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



417 



was at Homer, Iowa, where Mr. Whitbeck 
carried on a drug business. Later he bought 
three hundred and sixty acres near Algona, 
l"\\a. but moved his family to Fort Dodge, 
where his wife died in 1889. Since then he- 
has been in the west, principally at < ireat 
Falls, Montana. They were the parents of 
five children, three now living: William 
W., who lives in Washington; A. G., who 
married Margaret Pendergast and makes his 
home at Great Falls. Montana; and Clar- 
ence, who is married and resides in Minne- 
apolis, Minnesota, being in the railroad busi- 
ness. 

By the first marriage of Mr. Ingalls one 
child was born, William, whose birth oc- 
curred at Border Plains, N< ivember 1 7. 1 81 ■> i. 
He married Ida Story.and lives at Lehigh, 
J' '\\ a. To the second marriage nine children 
were born, namely: Frederick, who was 
born April 1, 1874. and now lives in Fort 
Dodge: George, also of Fort Dodge, born 
April 22, 187(1; Elizabeth, who was born 
June 22, 187s, and died February 22. 1879; 
Minnie B., born December 7. 1879: Harry, 
who was born June 18. [882, and died in in- 
fancy; Thomas, who was born November 
24, 1883. and died in March. 1885; Artie. 
born August 12, 1888; Bessie V., April 25, 
189] : and Grace M., who was born October 
23, 1893, and died July 21, 1894. In poli- 
tics Mr. Ingalls is a stanch Democrat and on 
that ticket he has been elected to the various 
ti iw nship offices. Fraternally he is connected 
with the Modern Woodmen of America. 



L. K. -FROSLAXD. 

One of those enterprising sons of Nor- 
way who reflect credit upon their native 

1. nd rind upon the country of their adoption 



is L. K. Frosland, who was born in Nor- 
way in 1834. and whose parents were horn, 
reared and were married in the northern 
land, where also their death occurred. In 
the family besides L. K. was a brother, 
Johannes, who lives lin Cajhoun county, 
Iowa, a brother, Andre, who still lives in 
Norway, and a sister, Johanna Knudson, 
who is a resident of her native land. In 
[863 Mr. Frosland was married in Norway 
to Rachel Olson, whose father died in that 
country, but whose mother is now living 
with her daughter and son-in-law, and is 
eighty-six years of age. 

Anticipating much from a complete 
change of surroundings, Mr. Frosland emi- 
grated to America in 1871. accompanied by 
hi- wife and mother-in-law. the voyage last- 
ing thirteen days. The little party came im- 
mediately to Iowa, and twenty-four years 
after reaching the state Mr. Frosland pur- 
chased eighty acres of land two miles south 
• \ I norland, upon which he lived for five 
war-, afterward locating upon the farm 
where he now lives. His first purchase on 
section 8 consisted of one hundred and 
twenty acres, and two years later he bought 
an additional eighty acres, all of which he 
ii' w owns and has under a high state of 
cultivation. Upon this farm have been 
reared the following children: Carrie, who 
frst married Isaac Dawson and is now the 
wife of J. C. Haggem, of Badger. I 
Oleana, who is the wife of John C. Ander- 
son, the owner of two hundred acres of 
land in Fulton town-hip: Gertie, win is the 
wife of Samuel Ness, of Fulton township; 
Anna, who is living at home; Minnie, who 
is the wife of Ole Anderson, of Everett; 
Matt, who is living with his father; and 
Elizabeth, who is about to complete her 
education. Two children have died in 
America. Mr-. Frosland comes of an en- 



4 I! 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ergetic family, as best illustrated by her 
brother, Andrew Olson, who married Lena 
Anderson and lives in Fulton township. 
When he arrived in America he was one of 
a party of eight, whose expenses across the 
water amounted to four hundred dollars. 
Arriving in New York, his available assets 
consisted of five hundred dollars in cash and 
any ami unit of determination, and upon set- 
tling in Iowa he put up a cheap house, 
bought six cows and paid down one hun- 
dred dollars towards a span of horses, after 
which he had hardly a cent to his name. 
At present he owns two hundred acres of 
land and is a successful man and honored 
citizen. 

Mr. Frosland makes a specialty of rais- 
ing red polled cattle and high-grade hogs, 
and feeds and ships large numbers of live 
stock. He is a member of the Norwegian 
Lutheran church, and is a Republican in 
political affiliation. His son. Matt, runs 
his farm, and has developed genuine ability 
as an agriculturist and stock-raiser. Mr. 
Frosland has an enviable standing in the 
community, where his integrity and public- 
spiritedness are a matter of pride to his 
fellow townsmen. 



WALTER CLARK GOODRICH. 

The family represented by this well- 
known farmer of Webster township is 
among the oldest in the county, having been 
founded here by his parents, Walter and 
Minerva (Beach) Goodrich, who arrived 
in what is now Lehigh on the 17th of Oc- 
tober, 1855. At that time only two 'or three 
families had established homes here and the 
entire Des Moines valley was a wilderness, 
in which as yet few attempts at improve- 



ment had been made. Only a pioneer can 
understand and appreciate all the hardships 
they endured, all the discouragements they 
overcame in an effort to give their children 
desired advantages and lay up for them- 
selves a competency for old age. 

The father of our subject was born in 
Licking county, Ohio, August 4, 1808, and 
on reaching manhood was married at New- 
ark, that county, March 9, 1830, to Miss 
.Minerva Beach, who was born in Stratford, 
Connecticut, on the 24th of September. 
1807. Unto them were born seven sons, all 
i>f whom are still living, namely: Curtis 
Augustus, a retired farmer of Hodgeman 
county, Kansas, now living in Dodge City, 
that state; George A., who is a carpenter 
and painter of Galena, Ohio, and takes an 
active interest in temperance work: Benja- 
min B., a retired farmer and old settler of 
Texas county, Missouri; Ezekiel L, a gen- 
eral gardener of Sedalia, Missouri; El- 
bridge and Rolland E., both residents of 
Lehigh, Iowa; and Walter C, of this re- 
view. As previously stated, Mr. Goodrich 
brought his family to Webster county, 
Iowa, in 1855, and settled on the present 
site of Lehigh. He was a man of excep- 
tional ability along mechanical lines, and 
during his early residence here followed 
various occupations. As a cabinet maker 
and carpenter he manufactured furniture, 
looms, spinning wheels and wagons and 
built houses for the early settlers. As a 
blacksmith he made their tools, sharpened 
their plows and shod their horses and oxen ; 
and as a cooper he made tubs and barrels 
in his shop. He also manufactured coffins 
and caskets and did a general undertaking 
business. He did some dentistry, and al- 
though he did not practice medicine, he d< <c- 
tored his neighbors with simple remedies 
when they were ill. From the age of 




WALTER GOODRICH, Sr. 




WALTER C. GOODRICH 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



423 



twenty-one Mr. Goodrich was a preacher 

and untiring worker in the Methodist Epis- 
copal church, and attended to the spiritual 
wants of the people as well as their physical 
necessities. He christened the babies and 
as they grew up taught them to live ; he 
married them when they were grown; and 
when death came he preached their funeral 
sermons and comforted the mourning" 
friends. His life seemed entirely devoted 
to 1 thers. He took considerable interest in 
public affairs, and at one time served as a 
member of the count}- board of supen 
After a useful and well-spent life he p 
quietly away July 7, 1901, at the advanced 
age of ninety-two years, eleven months and 
three days. His estimable wife died March 
7. [890. She was a woman of somewhat 
remarkable character, and her influence in 
the pioneer district was for good. When 
eleven years of age she was converted and 
a year later united with the Methodist 
Episcopal church, of which she was ever 
after a faithful member. Throughout her 
life, which was protracted to a great age, 
she retained the faith in her savior which 
had characterized her as a child, and at her 
death the entire community mourned the 
loss of a personal friend. 

Concerning the last days of Mrs. Good- 
rich the following may be appropriately 
quoted from one of the local papers; "No 
years of her life were happier than her last 
years; no hours of her life were happier 
than the last. Her life work had been to lit 
herself for death, and when the summons 
came she had her wedding garments on. 
Age did not seem to impair her faculties, 
and her vision of futurity seemed all the 
clearer. In praising, exhorting and counsel- 
ing were her last days passed, and as the 
last moments came it was as but falling into 
an easy slumber, so peaceful did she seem. 



The tired hands were folded, but the deeds 
that they have done will never he forgotten. 
The loving voice is hushed and still, and lips 
as but silent clay, but the songs that have 
been sung, the words of admonition and 
thankfulness that have been uttered, will 
live in memory's halls forever. For over 
three score years and ten one Master only 
did she serve, and He was served faithfully 
and well." 

While his parents were living in Frank- 
lin count}-, Ohio, Walter Clark Goodrich 
was horn, April _\ 1848. He remembers 
the long journey across the Mississippi A'al- 
lev into Iowa when he was seven years of 
age and also recalls vividly the lonely 
stretch of country where the family estab- 
lished a home. For a time he walked four 
miles into Yell township and attended school 
near the present farm of George Marsh. 
The school was held in a log cabin with an 
old-fashioned fireplace and resembled all 
frontier "temples of learning," having seats 
of slabs upheld with pegs and without 
desks. After he was fifteen he ceased at- 
tending school and gave his time wholly to 
work in his father's shop, assisting in mak- 
ing coffins, chairs, wheels, etc. He also 
worked 1 m a farm in Sumner township to 
some extent. 

At Fort Dodge. March 6, 1873, Mr. 
Goodrich was married by Rev. Lozier to 
Miss Margaret A. Ewing, who was horn 
in Crawford county, Pennsylvania. March 
6, 1851, a daughter of David T. and Maria 
G. (Stockton) Ewing. also natives of that 
county, the former bom August 23. 1805, 
the latter July 5. 1809. Her parents were 
married in June. 1833, and continued to re- 
side in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, un- 
til the spring of 1853. when they removed 
to Illinois, and made their home in that 
state until coming to Webster county. Iowa, 



424 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in the fall of 1858. By occupation her 
father was a farmer. As a Republican he 
took quite an active part in local politics. 
and filled many county and township offices, 
including those of sheriff, assessor and jus- 
tice of the peace. In religion he was con- 
nected with the Methodist Episcopal church. 
He died at Meadville, Crawford county, 
Pennsylvania, December 25, 1880, and his 
wife, who long survived him, departed this 
life April 12, 1897, at the home of our sub- 
ject in Webster county, Iowa. In girlhood 
she joined the Presbyterian church, of 
which she was a member until 1859, when 
site united with the Methodist Episcopal 
church and was a member of the same 
throughout the remainder of her life. Of 
the nine children born to this worthy couple 
live are still living, namely: Mrs. Alary A. 
Baifd, a resident of Pawnee Rock, Kansas: 
Airs. Sarah Jane Beach, of Port Dodge, 
Iowa; James R. Ewing, of Pawnee Rock, 
Kansas: and D. C. Ewing and Mrs. Mar- 
garet A. Goodrich, both of Lehigh. Iowa. 

To our subject and his wife were born 
the following children: Nellie A., born 
July 2?. 1874; Jennie I.. July 13, 1876; 
Foster P.. January 11, 1880; James B., 
August 7, 1886; and Walter Roland, De- 
cember 5, 1892. All are living with the ex- 
ception of James B.. who died August 5. 
1887. 

Prior to his marriage Mr. Goodrich 
worked at the carpenter's trade in Fort 
Dodge, and assisted in building a number 
of residences. He also built the first plat- 
fi irm in the Odd Fellows lodge room. After 
bis marriage he spent three months in team- 
ing for the potteries of Fort Dodge. He 
then rented land two and a half miles west 
of Lehigh, and continued to operate leased 
property until 1890, when he purchased and 
settled upon his present farm on section 8, 



Webster township. At one time he also 
worked in the coal mines near Lehigh, and 
engaged in the undertaking business in that 
town. A man of energy and ambition, he 
has never hesitated to grasp any opportunity 
whereby his financial success might be en- 
hanced, and his industry and perseverance 
are deserving of prosperity. As the incum- 
bent of all of the township offices, lie has 
been closely identified with local affairs, and 
has been active in the work of the Republi- 
can party. Under his parents' careful guid- 
ance and Christian training he was early led 
to identify himself with the Methodist 
Episcopal church, and has since been one of 
its earnest workers. Fraternally he is con- 
nected with the Independent Order of < >dd 
Fellow s. 



EMANUEL E. LOW. 

Among the prominent citizens and suc- 
cessful agriculturists of Webster county, 
Iowa, is Emanuel E. Low, whose fine farm 
i- located on section 3, Yell township, and 
is surrounded by some of the finest scenery 
in the state. His beautiful residence, over- 
looking the Des Moines river, is an ideal 
country home, and is fitted with the con> 
forts and conveniences of modern life. 

A native of the sister state of Illinois, 
Mr. Low was born June 21, 1840. on the 
old national road near Martinsville, Clark 
county, and is a son of William Low, whose 
birth occurred in Randolph county. Vir- 
ginia, March 11, 1772. The father was 
first married in Ohio, November 4. 1813, 
in Miss Margaret Hughey. who was born 
May 28, 1775. and they became the par- 
ents of the following children: Keziah, 
born October 17. 18 14, died October 9, 
1816; Jesse, born July 28, 1816, married 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



425 



Matilda Crawford, and died leaving a 
widow and nine children, the former still 
a resident of Clark county, Illinois; Sally, 
born June 21, 1818. died November 2, 
[819; Margaret, born December 4. 1820, 
married John A. Landreth. who died in 
1NN7, and she now makes her home with 
our subject; and Andrew, born December 
12. 1823. married Diana Crane, now de- 
ceased, and lived in Clark county, Illinois, 
where he died in 1854. 

William Low was again married, Au- 
gust 15. 1824. his second union being with 
Sabrina Davis, who was also born in Ran- 
dolph county, Virginia, July 6. 179'!. and 
seven children blessed this marriage, name- 
ly: Jonathan, horn July 17. 1825. mar- 
ried Susannah Rodman, who died in Arkan- 
S« s, while his death occurred in Indian Ter- 
ritory. John, born June 30. 1827, died 
February 19. 1899. He married Phoebe 
Rogers, who now resides in Rooks county. 
Kansas. Elizabeth, born September 3. 
[829, married Levi Curtis, who died in Yell 
township, Webster count}-. Iowa, in 1853, 
and she subsequently wedded Sanford Day. 
Her death occurred in 1858. Piety, 1" in 
in Clark count}-. Illinois. Ma}- 1, 1832, 
married James Rogers, who died in Clark 
county, Illinois, in 1897. William married 
Elizabeth Corbin and resides in Emmet. 
Idaho, Sabrina died at the age of sixteen 
years. Emanuel E. completes the family. 

William Low. the father 1 if our sub- 
ject, served as a soldier of the war of 1812, 
under the c< mmand of General W. H. Har- 
ris, m. During his residence in Fairfield, 
1 Mir 1. he filled the office of justice of the 
peace for the long period of thirteen years, 
and at the end of that time removed to 
Rush county. Indiana, where he resided Eot 
two years. He next made his home upon 
a farm in Clark county, Illinois, for eight- 



een years, and in 1855 came to Webstei 
count}-. Iowa. locating on a river claim in 
Yell township. There his death occurred 
June 10. 1 So;, and the mother of our sub- 
ject passed away in May, 1876. the remains 
1 if both being interred in Bass cemetery. 
Yell township. Both were earnest and 
o nsistent members of the Methodist 
church, and the father's political support 
was given the Republican part}-. 

In his boyhood Emanuel E. Low at- 
tended the district schools of Clark county, 
Illinois, the first temple of learning being 
one 1 f the little log cabins fast disappear- 
ing from sight. it< facilities not reaching 
the demands of any hut the remotest pio-= 
neer settlements. Later Mr. Low pursued 
hi; studies in a neat frame structure in the 
same county, and subsequently took an 
academic course at Martinsville, Illinois. 
From eighteen to twenty years be assisted 
his father in his fanning operations, go- 
ing then into the sawmill business, to which 
lit has devoted a considerable portion of 
his time. He has both taste and talent in 
the line of mechanical engineering and has 
given much attention to that occupation. 

Mr. Low accompanied his parents on 
their removal to Iowa, and at Burnside he 
was married. October 22. 1863, to Miss 
Elizabeth Nicholas, who was born in Lu- 
zerne county, Pennsylvania, March 
[848, a daughter of Richard and Abigail 
(Johnson) Nicholas. Her mother was born 
in the same county, twelve miles from 
Scranton, hut the birth of her father oc- 
curred in Cornwall, England, October 16, 
[815. Coming west in the fall of 1861, 
Mr. Nicholas located in Webster county. 
Iowa, where he followed mining for a short 
time, and then bought a farm in Yell town- 
ship, which he operated for seven years. 
He not only broke his own land, but as- 



426 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



sisted others in placing their land under 
cutlivation, and became widely known 
Jmu his section of the count}". In 
politics he was a Republican. Socially he 
was identified with the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, and religiously was an 
earnest member of the Baptist church, tak- 
ing quite an active part in religious af- 
fairs. His first wife died in 1857 and was 
laid to rest in McGuife cemetery, and he 
subsequently took his two youngest chil- 
dren and removed to Republic county, Kan- 
sas, locating near Scandia, where he was 
later united in marriage to Phoebe McGuire, 
who died there. Selling his landed interests 
in that state, he subsequently returned to 
Iowa, to make his home with his daughter 
in Lehigh. He was taken ill while visiting 
his daughter. Mrs. Margaret Rolfe, in 
Burnside. and died there April 16, 1897. 
All of his seven children were by his first 
marriage, these being Margaret, wife of S. 
F. Wheelock Rolfe, who resides on a farm 
near Burnside. Webster county : Mary Jane, 
wife of W. C. Beem. of Lehigh: Eliza- 
beth, wife of our subject: Martha, deceased 
wife of Daniel Towrrlev. who lives near Le- 
high in Yell township: George, who mar- 
ried Hattie Aver and resides in Dixon, 
Wyoming; Thomas, who married Rose 
Goodwin and lives near G >ffeyville, Kan- 
sas; and Francis, who died at the age of two 
months. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Low were born 
eight children, whose names and dates of 
birth are as follows: Ulysses E.. May 23, 
Lezelle. May 1. 1867; George E., 
March 18, 1869; Elizabeth Mary. April 13. 
1S71 : Margaret A.. March 31. 1873; Emri 
Alfred, February 24. 1S75 : Christina 
Viola, February 13. 1877: and Minnie 
Frances. February 15. 1879. Lezelle died 
March 20, 1S89. but the others are all living 



and are at home with their parents with 
the exception of George E., who now re- 
sides in Fort Dodge. 

In 1892 Mr. Low bought his present 
farm of seventy-three acres 1 .11 section 3, 
Yell township. He raises s< me of the fin- 
est stock in the state, giving special atten- 
tion to that line of business, and keeping 
nothing but high-grade stock. His stand- 
ing in his locality is that of an excellent ag- 
riculturist, although his attention has not 
been given exclusively to farming. During 
the Civil war he manifested his patriotism 
and loyalty by enlisting in 1862 in Company 
B. First Battalion under the command of 
el Sawyer, and was in active service 
on the Minnesota frontier, with headquar- 
ters at Fort William Emmitt. Mr. Low is 
a stanch Republican in politics, but has 
never been willing to accept office, his per- 
sonal business being enough to absorb his 
time and attention. His wife is an active 
member of the Methodist church, and the 
family is one of prominence in the com- 
munity where thev reside. 



THOMAS A. McCARYILLE. 

The fertility and resourcefulness of 

Webster county has developed the metal 
and ability of many tillers of her soil, and 
among the most earnest appreciators of the 
opportunities thus presented to their con- 
sideration none have more faithfully dis- 
charged their trust than has Thomas A. 
McCarville. one of the agriculturists located 
on section 16. Fulton township. A native 
of Lafayette county. Wisconsin, he was 
])■ rn February 8. 1865. a son of Dennison 
and Catherine (Timtnins) McCarville, the 
former of whom was born in Ireland in 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



427 



1835, and the latter in Detroit, Michigan, 
in 1838. 

The parents of Mr. McCarville were 
married in Waldwick township, Iowa coun- 
ty, Wisconsin, in [864, and went directly 
to Lafayette county, where the father 
owned land, and where they lived until 
1890. They then located in Fulton town- 
ship, Webster county, Iowa, whither they 
had been preceded by three of their children, 
and here the father died March 29, 1890. 
To this devoted and conscientious couple 
were born eight children, of whom Thomas 
A. is the oldest; Mary A., horn November 
8. 1866, is at present keeping house for her 
mother; Dennis L., born May 21, 1868, 
married Jennie Halligan and lives on sec- 
tion 16. Fulton township; Katie A., born 
July 25, 1870, married Michael Welch, of 
Jackson township; John ]., born June 4, 
1874. married Margaret Flannery and lives 
on the east half of section 16, Fulton town- 
ship; James E.. born in 1876, is living at 
home; Dominick, born in 1870, married 
Teresa R. McCormick and resides in Mur- 
ray county, Minnesota, where he removed 
in the spring of 1902; and Elizabeth died 
at the age of one year and eight months. 
The four brothers. Thomas, Dennis, Joseph 
and James, each occupy one hundred and 
sixty acres of section H>. Fulton township, 
Webster count}-. L iwa. 

At the district schools of his neighbor- 
hood Thomas A. McCarville received his 
primary education, a beginning supple- 
mented by much study and research in later 
years. While still living on his father's 
farm he took a lively and intelligent inter- 
est in agricultural matters in general, and 
entertained broad and expanding ideas of 
the best way to conduct a farm and de- 
velop its possibilities. Otherwise his youth 
Mas uneventful. 



On September 6, 1804, Mr. McCar- 
ville married Josephine Loehr, who was 
born in Fulton township. January 29, 1876, 
her parents having been born in Germany, 
although they arc now residents of this 
count} - . The other children born into the 
Loehr famil) are; Mary, the wife of Mels 
Ellingson, of Calhoun count}-, Iowa; Caro- 
line, wife of Harry Watson; George, a resi- 
dent of Moorland: Lorna, wife of Frank 
Few. of Oskaloosa, Iowa; Fred, who mar- 
ried Tilla Dickinson and resides in Fulton 
township; Alice, wife of John Benoit, of 
Tara, Iowa; Charlej ; Frank; and Adolph. 
To Mr. and Mrs. McCarville have been 
lorn four interesting children: Mary, born 
August 1, 1895; Joseph D., born May 9. 
1897; I.eo, who was born May 9, 1899, and 
died at the age of five months; and Ed- 
mond, born November 24, 1901. 

At the time of his marriage Mr. Mc- 
Carville had made such headway that he 
owned the farm upon which he now lives, 
and which contains one hundred and sixty- 
acres. He immediately settled thereon, and 
has since diligently applied himself to mak- 
ing a name and place for himself among 
the prosperous farmers of the region. 
Aside fn an general farming he breeds Jer- 
sey hogs and high-grade cattle, and in the 
latter capacity supplies a large market trade. 
His farm is among the most complete in the 
county, ami the most up-to-date methods 
prevail, aided by the latest improved labor- 
saving machinery. A Democrat in poli 
tics. Mr. McCarville has done much to main- 
tain the standard of political service ac- 
ceptable to the highest intelligence and un- 
questioned morality, and has creditably held 
numerous township offices, being at pres- 
ent a trustee. He is a member of the Ro- 
man Catholic church at Moorland. Mr. 
McCarville is one of the most influential 



428 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



farmers of Fulton township, and his many 
lire personal attributes have won for him 
the friendship of many the respect of all. 



A. J. LOEHR. 

One of the most successful of the Ger- 
man-Americans who 1 have contributed to 
the upbuilding of Webster county is A. J. 
Loehr, who was born in Germany, Febru- 
ary 28, 1 83 1 , and received the substantial 
early "training of the well-to-do Teutonic 
youth. His father, Jodocus Loehr, was for 
many years a tax-collector, and died during 
the progress of the Civil war, while his wife, 
formerly Fredericka Degraaf, died in 1841. 

Upon completing his education in the 
lower schools of Germany at the age of nine 
years, A. J. Loehr entered the upper school, 
which he left at the age of fifteen. As a 
provision for the future he then apprenticed 
tc an apothecary and served for three years, 
going later to another city in the fatherland 
where he received excellent training in the 
Free dispensary, an institution provided for 
the poor, remaining there eighteen months. 
He was then otherwise employed fur a year, 
and in 1852 set sail in a vessel bound for 
American shores, and arrived in New York 
harbor after a voyage of seven weeks from 
Antwerp. In Chicago he secured a position 
in the Wallick drug store on the corner of 
Clark and Ouincy streets, and after two 
years went to Milwaukee, where he re- 
mained for a year and a half. A later 
charge was in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, 
where he managed a drug store for some 
time, and subsequently located in Manito- 
woc, where he worked in a sawmill for 
three years. In St. Louis he afterward 
found employment, and was in the southern 



city at the breaking out of the Civil war. 

In 1861 Mr. Loehr enlisted in Conv 
pany K, Second Missouri Infantry, for 
three months, and later enlisted for three 
years. During his service he was under 
command of Generals Lyons, Fremont, Mc- 
Cook, Sheridan, Rosecrans ami Sherman, 
and participated in the battles of Corinth, 
Murfreesboro, Chickamauga and Mission 
Ridge, besides many minor batjtles and 
skirmishes. Enlisting as a private, he was 
afterward commissioned second lieutenant, 
and at the battle of Mission Ridge was ad- 
vanced by General Sheridan to the rank of 
captain of Company F, a position main- 
tained until he was mustered out. His dis- 
charge at St. Louis in October, 1864, 
marked the end of a service faithfully and 
valiantly performed. 

In the spring of [865 Mr. Loehr mar- 
ried Sophia Gochee, who was born in Ger- 
man)'. Her parents never left their native 
land. Mrs. Loehr had one brother, who 
died in a Kentucky hospital during the Civil 
war. After their marriage the young 
couple came to Webster county, Iowa, by 
team, the journey being delayed by a blind- 
ing snowstorm. Arriving at Fort Dodge 
after many trials and tribulations, they lo- 
cated on a rented farm, and afterward took 
up river land, which they improved and 
eventually sold. In 1872 Mr. Loehr bought 
the property which he now owns on section 
10, Fulton township, and when fairly used 
to the new order of things his home was 
made desolate by the death of his wife, who 
passed away January 5, 1873. Mrs. Loehr, 
who was buried in Moorland cemetery, left 
a family of ten children to the care of her 
husband: Mary, now the wife of Nels 
Elligson, of Calhoun county, Iowa; Caro- 
line, who married Harry Watson and died 
in the fall of 1900; George, a resident of 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



429 



Moorland; Laura, wife of Frank Pugh, of 
Bussey, Iowa; Josie, wife of T. M. Mc- 

Carville. of Fulton township: Alice, wife of 
John Benoit. of Tara, Iowa; Fritz, who 
married Tillie Dickerson and lives in Fulton 
township; Charles; Frank; and Adolph. 

On December 1. 1897, Mr. Loehr mar- 
ried Mrs. Eliza Gochee. who was born in 
Indiana, August 5, 1842, her parents being- 
natives respectively of Ohio and Indiana. 
Her father, who is now past eighty-seven 
years, is living in Illinois, while her mother 
died in Illinois in 1869. Mrs. Cochee had 
seven sisters and one brother : Melinda, 
wife of James Haldron, of Missouri; Eliza- 
beth, wife of James Morgan, both of whom 
are now- deceased, the latter having met 
a tragic death in a cyclone at Storm Lake in 
1882 ; Louisa, wife of James Hill, of Illinois ; 
Evelyn, widow- of Henry Thompson, and a 
resident of Empire, Illinois; Rebecca, wife 
of C. P. Moore, of Illinois; and Melissa, wife 
ot Jack Gassoway, also of Illinois. By her 
former marriage Mrs. Loehr had eight chil- 
dren, two of whom are deceased. Those 
living are Mary Hendricks; Ella Hiveley. 
a resident of Evanston, Iowa; Thomas, of 
Monona county, Iowa; Louis; Prentiss; 
and Elmer. 

At the present time Mr. Loehr owns 
eight hundred and forty acres of land, six 
hundred and forty of which are in Dent 
county, Missouri. He is a scientific farmer, 
and understands how' to make the most of 
his fertile property. In addition, he is an 
ambitious and enterprising citizen, who 
takes an active interest in all that pertains 
to the development of his township. In 
politics Mr. Loehr has always been in favor 
of Democracy, but is in no sense a strict 
party man, believing it right to vote for 
the candidates best qualified for the 
office. He has upheld the reputation 



lor a clean political record in the coun- 
ty, and has held numerous important official 
positions, lie voted for the three assassi- 
nated presidents, Lincoln. Garfield and Mc- 
Kinley. Fraternally Mr. Loehr is associ 
ated with the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows at Fort Dodge, and is a member of 
the Grand Army of the Republic, also at 
Fort Dodge. Fie is a man of advanced 
views and liberal tendencies, and has intelli- 
gently studied the needs of the community 
with which he has been for so long identi- 
fied. 



JOHN P. BRAKKE. 

Norway has sent away from her moun- 
tainous shores man}- faithful and devoted 
sons, who have transferred their allegiance 
to the United States and become integral 
parts of the prosperity of their adopted 
land. Among those who have profited by 
the fertility of Iowa may be mentioned 
John P. Brakke, whose well-improved farm 
of one hundred and sixty acres is proof of 
the deserving credit of the owner. He was 
reared to a life of industry and thrift under 
the faithful guidance of his parents in Nor- 
way, where he was born October 21, 1852. 
His father, Peter Brakke, was a farmer dur- 
ing his entire active life and died in 1897, 
while the mother, Celia ( Birkland ) Brakke, 
is still living in her native land, although 
bem as long ago as 1813. Qt the children 
reared under the careful guidance of this 
devoted couple but two sons are now liv- 
ing, and of these, Iver has never - wandered 
from the surroundings of his youth, and is 
engaged in farming and stock-raising. 

Upon the paternal farm in the north 
country John P. Brakke was taught to be 
a good farmer and faithful member of so- 



43Q 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ciety, and interspersed with his farm duties 
was attendance at the public schools. At 
the age of fifteen he left home and followed 
a wandering fancy fur the deep, and For 
nearly thirteen years shipped on various 
sailing craft in the North sea. He eventu- 
ally brought Up mi American shores, and 
April j^. t88l, located in Lee county, Illi- 
nois, where for two years he worked on a 
farm by the month. He later found him- 
self in Story county, Iowa, where he worked 
at farm labor for a couple of years, and was 
thus enabled to make some headway and to 
save enough money to justify him in marry- 
ing. 

On January 7, 1885, Mr. Brakke wed- 
ded Julia Peterson, who was horn in Lee 
county, Illinois, September 15, 1864. of 
Ni irwegian parentage, her father and 
mother having emigrated to America be- 
fore their marriage, which occurred about 
1S60. They arc now living in Hamilton 
county, Iowa, on a farm, and are the parents 
of three children, of whom Bertha is the 
wife of Martin Miller and lives on section 
20, Full on township, Webster county, while 
Oscar married Sophia Anderson and lives 
in Minnesota. Ten children have been horn 
h Mr. and Mrs. Brakke, namely: Celia, 
born May 22, 1885 ; Nlellie, born August 13, 
1886; Inger C, born March 5, 1888: John 
C, born July 20. 1889; Emma, who was 
born August 8, 1890, and died January 7, 
1891 ; Martin E., who was horn May 4. 
1893, and died July 20, 1896; Berthine, who 
was born October 14. 1895. and died Janu- 
ary 15, 1896; Marthene, born March 14, 
1897; Louisa, born June 15, 1899; and 
Elma, born March 20, 1901. 

Following his marriage Mr. Brakke 
rented a farm for a year, and then unwed 
to the farm which has since Wn his home. 
At first in a raw and unpromising condition, 



unceasing labor and well-directed plans have 
produced a gratifying fertility, and the 
original value of live dollars an acre has 
been entirely lost sight of. A year ago Mr. 
Brakke built a tine home which cost over 
a thousand dollars, and which is fitted with 
modern improvements, and is otherwise 
comfortable and wisely conceived. He is a 
Republican in national politics, and though 
devoted to the best interests of his party, 
has never sought office of any kind, although 
for six years he served as township trustee. 
He is deserving of emphatic credit for the 
success which has crowned his labors, for 
many obstacles have presented themselves to 
block his progress but have been overcome 
by grit and determination. Four years 
after his marriage his wife became a bed- 
ridden invalid, ami for three years he de- 
spaired of her recover}-. Eight doctors de- 
creed that her case was hopeless, but in 
spite of these predictions she began to im- 
prove and has since been a comfort and help 
to her devoted family. This and other 
drawbacks have not broken the courageous 
spirit of one of the most successful farmers 
in the township or retarded his general use- 
fulness as one of the most progressive citi- 
zens of the community. 



FRANCIS P.. DRAKE, 

Francis B. Drake, one of Otho's most 
prominent and influential citizens, was born 
in St. Lawrence county, New York, July 
27, 1832, and is a son of David B. and Caro- 
line (Wilson) Drake, natives of Vermont 
and New Hampshire, respectively. The 
Drake family trace their ancestry back to 
the Puritans who settled in Massachusetts 
in colonial days. When nineteen vears of 




F. B. DRAKE 




MRS. F. B. DRAKE 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



435 



age die grandfather of our subject rerrn ved 
to Addison ci unity, Vermont, and there lived 
upon one farm until his death, which oc- 
curred when he was ninety-six years of age. 
Jn early life he was a member of the state 
militia, and took an active part in the Revo- 
lutionary war. 

When a young man David B. Drake 
went to St. Lawrence county, New York, 
where he carried on business as a \v< 
manufacturer fur some time, and also 
cleared and improved a large farm. He was 
a man of great energy and perseverance and 
was usually successful in every under- 
taking. In his family were six children, 
three sons and three daughters, but only our 
subject and his sister. Mrs. Harriet L. Tay- 
lor, are now living, the latter being a widow 
and a resident of Xew York. 

Mr. Drake, of this review, passed his 
rl and youth in his native state, and 
assisted his father in his various occupa- 
tions. He was about fourteen years of age 
when his father leased his farm and from 
that time on he worked in the woolen fac- 
tory at Stockholm, Vermont, when not in 
school. He was given good educational ad- 
vantages, attending the academy in Potts- 
dam for some time. On attaining his ma- 
jority he commenced teaching school. 

In 1854 Mr. Drake came to Iowa and 
entered a tract of government land on sec- 
tion 30, Otho township. Yv'ehster county, 
but did not locate upon his land. During 
the following winter he engaged in teach- 
ing school in Davenport, and in the spring 
of 1X55 assisted in selecting the swamp and 
over-flowed lands in Tama county, Iowa. 
The next summer he was appointed by the 
county judge as one of the commissioners 
to select the swamp lands of Webster coun- 
ty, which at that time included Hamilton 



county. In the spring of [858 .Mr. Drake 
settled on section 28, 1 Hho township, where 
he lived until August, [866, and then 1m lught 
a farm 011 section _\ Clay township, which 
was wholly unimproved, all around him 
being wild land, lie extended the boundar- 
ies of his farm until he had two hundred 
and rifty acres, and successfully engaged in 
its cultivation until 1900, when he- sold the 
place and remi ived toOtho, where he bought 
li ts and built an elegant residence, where 
he now lives. 

On the 10 th of April. 1S57. Mr. Drake 
was united in marriage with Miss Caroline 
E. Hart, a daughter of Norman Hart, of 
whom extended mention is made in the 
sketch of X. 11. Hart on another page of 
this volume. Mrs. Drake vva^ horn in Glas- 
tonbury. Connecticut, on the 16th of May, 
1833, hut was only a year old on the re- 
moval of the family to Hancock county, 
Illinois, and in 1854 they came to Webster 
connty. Iowa. She taught the first school 
ever conducted in this county, it being in a 
li g cabin near Border Plains. ( >ur subject 
and his wife have no children of their own 
but have reared two: Charlotte Malander, 
who was taken into their home at the age 
of nine years and was educated by them 
and given all the advantages of an own 
child. She is now the widow of Frank 
York and resides in Dayton. Charles H. 
Bostwick v.: eared and educated by 

them, making his home with Mr. and Mrs. 
Drake from the age of three years until he 
attained his majority. 

For nearly hal'f a century our subject 
has been identified with the affairs of Web- 
ster county, and is recognizi 1' the 
most valuable and useful citizens of his 
community. In [857 he was appointed 
and was the first 



43& 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



master of Otho, which position he filled for 
several years. He has held all of the town- 
ship offices, and was a member of the county 
board of supervisors from the fifth district 
one term. 

Mr. Hamilton is still the owner of a 
good farm on sections 19 and 20, Otho 
township, which he now rents to Hoyt N. 
Hart, sou of Dr. G. D. Hart. He is suc- 
cessfully engaged in breeding thoroughbred 
short horn cattle, of which he has a fine 
herd upon his farm, and also breeds high- 
grade horses and hogs, giving much atten- 
ti< m tn his stock. 

In early life Mr. and Mrs. Drake united 
with the Congregational church, and have 
ever taken quite an active and prominent 
part in all church work, especially in the 
Sunday school. For many years he served 
■as superintendent and assisted in organizing 
a number of Sunday schools. He has also 
been a deacon in his church fur fifteen years, 
and his life has ever been in harmony with 
his professions. Politically he is identified 
with the Republican party, and is ever ready 
and willing to aid any enterprise calculated 
tn promote the interests of his community 
or advance the general welfare. He is a 
member of the township organization that 
controls the demonstrations on the 4th of 
July, commencing with 1876, and Decora- 
tion Day, and, thanks to the committee 
which has the celebrations in charge, these 
two 'lays are always observed by the good 
people of Otho township, aside from the 
city demonstration. On Decoration Day 
services are held on the farm of Dr. G. D. 
Hart adjoining the Otho cemetery, and 
great preparations are made for celebrating 
both days. Mr. Drake is pre-eminently 
public-spirited and progressive and does all 
in his power to advance the moral, social 
and material welfare of his community. 



CHRISTOPHER ARNOLD. 

This well-known resident of Fort Dodge 
is one of the leading German-American citi- 
zens of the place, and in his successful 
business career he has shown the character- 
istic thrift and enterprise of his race. He 
was born in Xiedernhall, Wurtemberg, 
Germany, February 24, 1822, a son of 
Charles and Maria S. (Kraft) Arnold. The 
father was a well-educated man and for 
fifty years engaged in teaching the public 
schools of his native land. Our subject at- 
tended college at Ingelfingen and prepared 
himself for the legal profession. Prior to 
his emigration to this country he served as 
clerk in different offices and was elected as 
police commissioner with inspector duties 
of one of the formerly free cities of Ess- 
lingen, also city clerk and recorder of 
Goeppingen up to the time of his departure 
in October, 1854. 

On the 24th of October, 1848, Mr. Ar- 
nold was united in marriage with Miss 
Rosina Unger, of Hochdorf, Germany, 
whose parents were farming people of that 
county. By this union were born six chil- 
dren, but only two are now living: Wil- 
helmina and Mary, both at home with their 
father. The wife and mother died in Oc- 
tober, 1896. One son, Carl, died January 
31, 1901, in Sioux City, Iowa, where he 
was engaged in the drug business. 

Bidding good-bye to home and native 
land, Mr. Arnold came to America in 1854, 
and nine months later was joined by his 
wife and family. He first learned the cigar- 
makers trade in Montgomery county, Penn- 
sylvania, then moved to Buffalo, New 
York, where he lived for a short time, next 
he located in Erie, Pennsylvania. In the 
spring of 1857 Mr. Arnold came to Fort 
Dodge, and started a barber shop, which he 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



437 



carried on until 1865. In connection with 
the simp he also conducted a saloon for 
eight years. In 1865 he became a member 
of a firm operating a flouring mill. Five 
years later he bought his partner's interest 
and continued to carry on the business alone 
until 1878, when the mill was destroyed by 
fire. He three times rebuilt the mill in two 
years, it having been injured by fire, water 
and ice on different occasions. In 1878 he 
was elected county recorder and after filling 
the office for one term he retired from ac- 
tive business in 1880 to enjoy a well-earned 
rest and the fruits of former toil. In 1878 
he was appointed notary public, and by re- 
appointments he has held the office since. 
He has built and still owns several business 
blocks in Fort Dodge, from which he de- 
rives a good income and can well afford to 
lay aside all business cares.* 

Fraternally Mr. Arnold is a member of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellow's. 
As a public-spirited and enterprising man, 
he has taken an active part in local affairs 
and has efficiently served as a member of 
the city council nine years and a member of 
the school board fifteen years. He also 
served as township clerk and treasurer for 
two terms and was township trustee a num- 
ber of years. Although a foreign-born citi- 
zen, his patriotism is never questioned and 
he well merits the confidence and respect 
reposed in him. 



GEORGE CHRISTIAN SCLEICH- 
HARDT. 

Among the natives of Germany who 
have sought homes on this side of the At- 
lantic and have become useful and valued 
citizens of the communities in which they 



have located is numbered George C. 
Schleichhardt, now a well-to-do and sub- 
stantial resident of Fort Dodge, Iowa, his 
home being at 814 Ninth street north. He 
was born in Saxony, German}-, January 4, 
1833, and was eighteen years > if age when, in 
the fall of 185 1, he came to the new world 
with his parents, Christian F. and Magdalena 
(Rankert) Schleichhardt. There were 
three children in this family : Charles F., 
George C. and Wilhelmena, who while a 
resident of Illinois was united in marriage 
with William Kelner. Later, when her 
family came to this state, tlfey accompanied 
them and continued to make their home in 
Iowa for about twenty years, at the end of 
which time they removed to Germany, 
where she died in March. 1890. Her hus- 
band still resides in that country. Their 
marriage resulted in the birth of two chil- 
dren : Willie and Emma. Both are mar- 
ried and reside in the fatherland. 

On their emigration to this country our 
subject's family located in La Salle county. 
Illinois, after a few days spent in New Or- 
leans, where they landed. Three years were 
spent in Illinois, and in 1856 they came to 
Fort Dodge, Iowa, the journey being made 
by team from Iowa City. At that time 
there were still many Indians in this state, 
who caused the early settlers much annoy- 
ance, and wild game of all kinds was plenti- 
ful, our subject having shot many a deer. 
There were only a few log houses and one 
brick store in Fort Dodge when the family 
arrived here, and Mr. Schleichhardt has 
therefore witnessed almost the entire de- 
velopment and upbuilding of the city. He 
joined a company sent against the Indians 
right after the massacre at New Ulm, Min- 
nesota, in 1862, and assisted in subduing 
the red men. As he has never married, he 
remained at home caring for his parents 



438 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



during- their declining years. In his native 
land the father conducted a large bakery, 
but after coming to this country followed 
farming. He died March 6, [869, and his 
wife, who long survived him. passed away 
July 20, 1886. 

.Mr. Schleichhardt, of this review, fol- 
lowed farming quite successfully until 1875, 
when he removed to Fort Dodge, and was 
engaged in the manufacture of brick until 
1894. He has also been interested in the 
real estate business, and is to-day the owner 
oi a fine farm of three hundred and sixty 
acres of land in Dickinson county, Iowa. 
He has considerable money out at interest. 
and is a stockholder in the First National 
Bank of Fort Dodge. In all his undertak- 
ings he has steadily prospered, and his suc- 
cess has come to him through energy, labor 
and perseverance, directed by an evenly- 
balanced mind and by honorable business 
principles. 



THOMAS DOXAHOE. 

One of the most prosperous ami snccess- 
ful business men of the northwest part of 
the county is Thomas Donahoe, the well- 
known cashier of the State Bank of Clare, 
lie was born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, 
June 25, 1847. an 'l i s a son OI James and 
Ann Donahoe, both natives of County 
Cavau. Ireland, the former burn in Bailie- 
borough, the latter in Cootehill. About 
[836 the father came to the new world and 
four years later the mother also crossed the 
Atlantic and took up her residence in this 
O untry. Being a coal miner, he at first 
worked in the mines of Pennsylvania until 
[856, when he removed with his family to 
Fort 1) dge, Tow a. and in the fall of that 
year, in connection with Tom Flahertv, 



opened the first coal mine at this place, it 
being known as the Colburn bank. That 
winter they were assisted in their work by 
Walter Ford, the father of the present 
county auditor of Webster county. For 
two or three years Mr. Donahoe was in the 
employ of the coal firm of Elliott Col- 
burn, and then removed to Pocahontas, 
Iowa, but in i860 returned to Webster coun- 
ty, and purchased a quarter section of land 
a few miles south of the village of Clare, 
and turned his attention to agricultural pur- 
suits, which he successfully followed up to 
the time of his death, which occurred in 
April, 1889. His wife died in September, 

1895- 

In the family of this worthy couple were 
five children, three sons and two daughters, 
namely : Thomas, of this review ; Peter, 
a resident of Pocahontas count}', Iowa: 
Charles, now mayor of Clare: Rose A., 
wife of P. J. Crilly, who is conducting a 
livery stable at that place: and Mary J., 
who is keeping house for our subject. 

Thomas Donahoe spent the first nine 
years of his life in his native state, and l>e- 
gan his education in its public schools. In 
1856 he accompanied the family on their re- 
moval to Fort Dodge and later to Poca- 
hontas. Iowa, where he- continued to attend 
school until twelve years of age. After the 
return of the family to Webster county he 
assisted in the operation of the home farm 
until May, 1889, when he came to Clare and 
entered the Bank of Clare as cashier. 
M>out three years later that institution was 
incorporated under the name of the State 
Bank of Clare, with a capital of twenty-five 
thousand dollars, and R. P. Furlong was 
made president : C. J. Saunders, vice-presi- 
dent : and Thomas Donahoe. cashier. The 
bank is now in a flourishing condition and 
does a large business among the farmers liv- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



439 



ing around Clare, carrying, on an average, 
about ninety thousand dollars of deposits. 
As a business man Mr. Donahoe lias been 
eminently successful and he and his bn thers 
arc to-day among the large land owners of 
the enmity. Straightforward and reliable in 
all things, he generally carries forward to 
successful completion whatever he under- 
takes, and is recognized as one of the most 
capable business men of his community. 

\s a public-spirited and progressive citi- 
zen. Mr. Donahoe has ever taken a deep in- 
terest in public affairs, and in 1868, soon 
after attaining his majority, was elected 
clerk of Johnson township, which office he 
acceptably filled for eight years. He then 
served as township assessor two years, and 
was secretary of the board for nine years 
from 1870. He was also township trustee 
two terms, and then again served as clerk 
for nne term. His devotion to the public 
good is unquestioned and arises from a sin- 
cere interest in the welfare 1 if his fell* w men. 



michael Mcdonald. 

No more enterprising farmer promotes 
the well-being of Webster comity than 
Michael McDonald, who was born in Ren- 
frew county. Canada. February 16, 1865. a 
son of James and Elizabeth (O'Brien) Mc- 
Donald. The other children of the family 
were as follows: Charles, who now lives 
in Denver, Colorado: John, who married 
Dora Morley, a native of County Cork, Ire- 
land, and makes bis home in Colfax town- 
ship, Webster count}'. Iowa: Richard, who 
married Annie McMannis and lives one 
mile south of Duncombe: James and Jo- 
seph, who are both with their father; Eliza- 
beth, wife of Patrick Ledden, who came to 



this country from County Limerick. Ire- 
land, at the age oi twenty years, and now 
resides near Fort Dodge, Iowa: Mary, wife 
oi I In mas McManus, who lives near In- 
dustry , Iowa: Carrie: Tressie; and Maggie. 

James McDonald, the father of our sub- 
ject, was born in Ireland, and was reared 
to farming pursuits. About 1855 be came 
to America and settled in Canada, where he 
engaged in farming and where be was mar- 
ried in April, 1862, to Elizabeth O'Brien. 
In 1871 be removed to Iowa and settled in 
Hamilton county, where he engaged in the 
railroad business, and was section foreman 
for four years. He then decided to devote 
his future entirely to farming, and to facili- 
tate bis extensive plans for general farm- 
ing and stock-raising purchased five hun- 
dred and eighty acres of land, to which he 
received a clear title. This property was 
purchased from eastern speculators, and has 
ever since been the Meld of activity for this 
broad-gauged farmer and citizen. 

Upon the fertile acres of this well-con- 
ducted farm Michael McDonald developed 
industry and ability, and remained under 
Ins father's capable instruction until attain- 
ing his majority. On February I, [891, 
he married Mary Hogan, of Badger, Iowa, 
who died four years after her marriage. 
Of this union there were born three children, 
two of whom died in infancy, while Charles 
W. McDonald is making his home with bis 
paternal grandparents. 

On August 15, 1900, Mr. McDonald 
married Kathryn Reed, who was born in 
County Kilkenny. Ireland. March 5, [878, a 
daughter of Patrick and Mary Reed, who 
were the parents also of the following chil- 
dren: Margaretta, who is the housekeeper 
for Father Burke, of Corpus Christi church, 
Fort Dodge: Mary, who lives in Omaha, 
Nebraska: John, who was born in Ireland 



440 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and is a farmer by occupation; Johanna, 
who is unmarried and keeps house for her 
father; Ellen, who is working in a steam 
laundry in Mason City, Iowa; Tern, who 
assists his father with the management of 
the home farm; Michael, who is employed 
on the railmad in Fort Dodge; Bridget, 
who lives on the home farm in Ireland; 
Patrick, who also lives in Ireland ; and Will- 
iam, who was born in Ireland and still 
makes that country his home. Mrs. Mc- 
Donald crime to America when thirteen 
years of age, and upon locating in Port 
Dodge became housekeeper for Father 
Burke, continuing in this capacity up to the 
time nf her marriage, when the position was 
assumed by her sister. 

In 1888 Air. McDonald purchased forty 
acres .if land, which he improved and built 
up, and so successful was he that the follow- 
ing year Ik- bought eight}- acres directly op- 
posite, upon which he erected the commod- 
ious and comfortable residence which has 
since been his home. His untiring industry 
and ability are evinced by the general air 
of thrift and enterprise everywhere appar- 
ent, and by the abundant harvests which 
reward well-directed energy. He is one of 
the scientific farmers of the township, and 
exerts a wide influence on the side of 
progress and good government. 



GEORGE COOMBER. 

As one .if the very earliest settler- 1 I 
Otho township, George Coomber was instru- 
mental in advancing the best interests of 
his adopted locality, and up to' the time of 
bis death, November 14, 1900, enjoyed the 
confidence and esteem of the many friends 
and associates who had profited by his well- 



directed and useful life. He was born in 
England in January, 1837, and received but 
a limited education in his youth. In 1852 
he embarked on a sailing vessel with his 
parents and after a voyage of seven weeks 
landed in Montreal, Canada. Afterward 
they removed to Lena, Stephenson county, 
Illinois, where the parents purchased a farm 
of two hundred acres and lived until their 
death. 

Until attaining his majority George 
( 11 mber lived on his father's farm, after 
which he rented land for a time. When 
just twenty-one he married Mary Cheney, 
and by this union there were three children, 
Henry, Richard and Mary, and of these 
In ili sons are now deceased. While living 
with her husband and children in Otho 
township Mrs. Coomber died, and April 19, 
1874, the husband married Mary J. Cheney, 
widow of M. 1). Cheney. The second Mrs. 
( in mber was horn March 29, 1839. in Illi- 
nois, ami was formerly Mary Jane Scott. 
On April 2, 1 S 5 - . she married M. D. 
Cheney, who died January 4. 1809, leaving 
two children, Phoebe and Franklin. 

Air. and Mrs. Coomber at once took up 
their residence where she now lives, but at 
the time they hardly realized the comforts 
and pleasures which later developments 
brought into their lives. Then there was a 
little log cabin on the farm which served 
as a place of residence pending the general 
upbuilding of the district, and this was later 
supplanted by a neat frame house with more 
modern conveniences. As harvest suc- 
ceeded harvesl vistas of possibility were 
opened up, and all needed improvements 
were introduced, so that the one hundred 
and twenty acres owned by Airs. Coomber 
has fc\\ superiors in the township. Air. 
I oomber was a Republican in political 
affiliation, but ever refused the offices ten- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



443 



dered by his fellow townsmen. lie was a 
broad-minded, progressive man. and his 
services in various capacities will never he 
f< rgotten by those who are to-day reaping 

the benefit of Ins industry and good man- 
agement. 

In the family of which Mrs. Coomber is 
a member were the following brothers and 
sisters: Mrs. Olive Knapp, a resident of 
Kansas; Mrs. Luanda Cheney, now de- 
■ I ; Andrew, a resident of Pi cahi mas 
county, Iowa, who married Alice McAlister; 
John, a resident of Iowa county, who mar- 
ried Rosa Bell; Mrs. Lunica Hildebrand, a 
resident of the state of Washington; Mrs. 
Lydia Henon, of Keokuk county; Mrs. 
Maggie Cheney, of Millersburg, Iowa; 
Christ, who died in his eighteenth year; 
and two others who died in infancy. 

Since the death of Mr. Coomber his 
widow has succeeded to his entire estate, 
having purchased the shares of i ther heirs. 
This farm comprises one hundred 
twenty acre's of finely improved land, upon 
which Mrs. Coomber is making extensive 
improvements, erecting new buildings, etc. 
Her daughter resides with her and assists 
in the management of the farm. 



ANDREW HOWER. 

This well-known citizen of Fort Dodge, 
who is n< b so successfully engaged in busi- 
ness as a wholesale dealer in flour, o mes 
from the fatherland, and the strongest and 
most creditable characteristics of the Teu- 
tonic race have been marked elements in his 
.life and have enabled him to win success in 
the face of opposing circumstances. He 
sses the energy and determination 
which -nark the people of Germany, and by 



the exercise of his powers lie has steadily 
progressed, and has not only won a hand- 
some o mpetence but has commanded uni- 
versal respect b) his straightforward busi- 
ness methi ds. 

Mr. Bower was born in Germany, 
March 19, 1840. and was seven yeai 
when his father, Nicholas Hower, emi- 
grated to the United States, accompanied by 
In- ten children. The family first located in 
Dunkirk, New York, but in 1849 rem ' ■'' 
to Wayne county, Michigan, the father pur- 
chasing a farm near Plymouth Junctii n, 1 11 
which they lived for two years. In 1851 
they went to Minnesota, where our subject 
grew to manh 1. 

When the Civil war broke out he re- 
1 to strike a lis ad pted coun- 

try, and in the [2th of July. r86i, en- 
listed 1 any K, Second Minn 
Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Cover- 
dale and Colonel Van Cleve. ( ioini 
Kentucky, his regiment was assigned to the 
Army of the Cumberland, January 19, 
1862, and participated in the battles of Mills 
Springs. Pittsburg Landing. Shiloh, Stone 
River, Murfi and Chickamauga, be- 
sides a large number > f skirmishes. In 
1862 Mr. Hower was made corporal and 
served in that capacity until the cLse of the 
war. I >n the ioth 1 if Marcl 
captured at Big Shanty, Gei rgia, and taken 
to Andersonville prison, where he was in- 
carcerated nine months, suffering untold 

tii 11s. 1 Hiring 
time he contracted swamp fever and 
received a sunstroke, from the effects of 
which lie has never fully recovered. < >n 
being released fn m prison .Mr. Hower 
sent to Wilmington, South Carolina, where 
the Union forces were in possession of the 
city. and. being . thirty-day fur- 

li usrh, hi' then returned to hi- In me in Min- 



444 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



nesota. He rejoined his command at Wash- 
ington, D. C, arriving there on the daj of 
the grand review, and was then sent to 
Louisville, Kentucky, where he was horior- 
ablj discharged July n, 1865. He had two 
brothers in the same company, while his old- 
est brother served in the Fourth Minnesota 
Infantry. One of these, Jacob Hower, was 
wounded during a battle in South Carolina, 
and died from the effects of the same Janu- 
ary 2) , 1898. 

On die 19th of March, [866, Mr. Hower 
was united in marriage with Miss Katherine 
] [ansel, whose father was a farmer by occu- 
pation. Both parents are now deceased. 
Although no children have been born to 
them, nir subject and his wife have three 
adopted children that they have reared as 
their own. 

Mr. Hower came to Fort Dodge in [866 
and embarked in the butcher business, hut 
was unsuccessful in that enterprise. He 
next worked in a brickyard for about two 
years, after which lie engaged in teaming 
until [880, when lie opened a grocery -tore, 
but the following year again met witli mis- 
fortune, his store being destroyed bv fire. 
With characteristic energy, however, he was 
again ready for business at the end of three 
days, though he started with practically 
nothing. His father died in August. 1881, 
and while going to the funeral his wife was 
injured in a wreck on the Minneapolis & 
St. Louis Railroad. These misfortunes 
caused Mr. Hower to close out his busi- 
ness. About eight month- later he em- 
barked in hi- present enterprise a- a whole- 
sale dealer in Hour, and in this undertaking 
he has steadily prospered, his sales now 
amounting to about twelve thousand dol- 
lars worth per month. In [896 he built the 
I lower block on the corner of Central ave- 
nue and Twelfth street, and to-day o\\ ns 



considerable real estate, valued at seventy 
thousand dollars. His life is a living 
illustration of what ability, energy, force of 
character can accomplish, and it is to such 
men that the west owes its prosperity, its 
rapid progress ami its advancement. So- 
cially Mr. Hower is a member of Fort Don- 
elson Post, No. 236, ( i. A. R., and relig- 
iously is a member of Sacred Heart church 
of Fort Dodge. 



HENRY WIDICK. 

Both in the townships of Webster and 
Hill and in the village of Lehigh Mr. Widick 
has many acquaintances, having made his 
home in each for a sufficient period to enable 
him to identify himself with local movements 
and to attract by his honorable character a 
host of warm personal friends. At this 
writing his home is in the township of Webs- 
ter, where he owns a farm comprising one 
hundred and sixty-nine acres of land, under 
cultivation to the various cereals. Besides 
this property, he owns a neat residence and 
several lots in Lehigh, and is a stockholder 
in the Lehigh Valley Savings Bank. 

Macon county, Illinois, is Mr. Widick's 
native county, and September 30, 1828. the 
date of his birth. His father, John Widick, 
a West Virginian, removed to Illinois in 
earl)- manhood and there engaged in farm- 
ing. During the exciting election of 1840 
he cast his ballot for William Flenry Harri- 
son, and he was one of the most pronounced 
adherents of the Democratic party in his lo- 
cality. By his first marriage lie had four 
children. William, Michael, Margaret and 
Emanuel, all of whom are deceased. Llis 
second wife bore the maiden name of Cath- 
erine Trauber. Of the children horn to this 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



445 



union we note the following: Elizabeth be- 
came the wife of L. B. Walker, of Macon 
county, Illinois: Ril married Mary A. Lynch 
and after her death was united with Mrs. 
Esther Hartman. and later with Mrs. Fisher, 
and now lives in Homer. Iowa; Aaron was 
twice married, his first wife being Elizabeth 
McDaniel, and his second Lucinda Pound; 
Eli, who lives near St. Joseph, Missouri, 
was three times married, his first wife being 
Susan Cox. his second Harriet Hill, and His 
third Sarah E. Darmor; Edmund married 
Nancy Ann McDougal, and lives m Moul- 
trie county, Illinois: Henry was next in or- 
der of birth; and the youngest was Josiah, 
who married Hannah Hill, and makes his 
In me in I >ade county, Missouri. 

Five different country schools, all held 
in log buildings and all conspicuous by rea- 
son of their exceedingly primitive furnish- 
ings, afforded Henry Widick all the educa- 
tional advantages he ever received. When 
he was seventeen years of age he hade a Iasl 

g 1-bye to his school days and took upon 

himself the serious responsibilities oi life. 
beginning to work upon a farm and receiv- 
ing eight dollars a month. During three 
summer seasons he worked in the employ 

Sam Towers, meantime hoarding his 
small earnings in order that they might ap- 
ply on the purchase of land. Together with 
hi- hi' (hers Aaron and Edmund, he bought 
one hundred and sixty acre- of raw land 
in Illinois, and this he assisted in breaking 
and placing under cultivation. 

About this time his first marriage oc- 
curred, which united him. October 31. 1850, 
with Elizabeth Matthew-. This lady was 
; a family of -even children, the others 
being Mary Jane. Sylvira. John. Nancy, Su- 
san and William. Of her marriage there 
were seven children, namely: William H.. 
born July 14. 1852; Sarah E., June S. 1854: 



Laura E. August 0. 1856; Arminda F... 
August 4. 1859; Luvina A.. October 12, 
[863; Ida May. July 29, [867; and Gi 

C, August j,}. 1872. The oldest -on. who 
lives near Burnside, Webster county, 

married Mary Blanchard ami has two chil- 
dren. Sarah is the widow of W. H. Daniels, 
and has eight children. Laura E. married 
I.. Ewing, of Webster count} - , and is the 
mother of eight children. Arminda E., Mr-. 
Charles Daniels, of Webster county, has six 
children. Luvina. deceased, was the wife 
of A. Spainhower, of Fort Dodge, [owa. 
Ida May married George Lowrie, of Webs- 
ter township, and they have three children, 
i- ( . died September o. 1874. when 
two year- 1 f age. The mother of these 
children died in 1878. 

During much of his acitve life Mr. Wid- 
ick was a resident of his native county of 
Macon, Illinois, but in 1864 he changed his 
scene of activity to Iowa, settling in Webs- 
ter county and buying one hundred and fifty- 
eight acres in Webster township. From 
there he moved to Lehigh, where he made 
his home for ten years, and meantime ac- 
quired hi- present farm in Webster town- 
ship. Both by piece] it and example he up- 
holds Prohibition doctrine-, while in religion 
he is identified with the Methodist Episco- 
pal church and has served as a member of 
the board of trustees. At different times he 
has held various township office-. 

The second marriage of Mr. Widick took 
place at Decatur, Illinois, in [879, uniting 
him with Mr-. Catherine Elizabeth Low rv. 
who was b ni in < ihio, October 29, 1837, 
a daughter 1 f John and Dorothy (Shriver) 
Ccnnard. To the union of her parent- there 
were born five children, those besides herself 
being named as fi How-; Charles, who mar- 
ried Jennie I >avis, and lives in Illinois ; Sarah 
A., widow of John King, of Wheaton, Illi- 



446 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



nois ; Hannah, Mrs. James Lowry, deceased; 
and Angelina, wife of David McCrurv, of 
Elwin, Illinois. Mrs. Widick has been twice 
married, her first husband having been 
Charles Lowry,, who was drowned June 20, 
1N77. By him she had three children: 
George, who married Ida May Widick. and 
operates a farm in Webster township; Flor- 
ence, wife of A. M. Spainhower, of Fort 
Dodge; and James E., who married Emi 
Hanson, and lives in Lehigh. The only 
child horn to the union of Mr. Widick and 
Mrs. Lowry is a daughter. Anna 1).. who is 
at home. 

+-*+-*■ — 

Z. W. THOMAS. 

One of the most prominent and pros- 
perous business men of northwestern Iowa 
is Z. W. Thomas, of Fort Dodge, who came 
to this city less than twenty years ago with 
only twenty-five dollars in his pocket. To- 
day he is one of the most extensive land 
owners in the county and has real estate in- 
terests in man)- portions of the west, but his 
efforts have not heen confined alone to this 
line, and in other branches of business ac- 
tivity he has manifested his splendid execu- 
tive force, kei'ii discernment, sound judg- 
ment and unremitting diligence, with the re- 
sult that prosperity has crowned his labors, 
and Webster count)" now numbers him 
among her men of affluence. 

Mr. Thomas is a native of Damascus. 
Columbiana county, Ohio, born May 18, 
1856, his parents being- Jesse and Johanna 
B. (Stanley) Thomas, both of whom were 
natives of the Buckeye state. The father 
represented an old New York family, the 
mother was descended from Virginian an- 
cestry, and through many generations both 
families had resided in this country. In 



1S65, accompanied by his wife and children, 
Jesse Thomas came to Iowa, locating at 
Oskaloosa, where the subject of this review 
obtained his early education that was later 
supplemented by a course in ph'ili isophy in 
Penn College, of Oskaloosa. He was reg- 
istered among the students at the opening 
of that institution and his mental training 
there well equipped him fur the practical 
duties of business life. When a young man 
he engaged in merchandising- and for one 
year followed fanning, while at intervals he 
engaged in teaching school. After his 
graduation in Penn College he entered the 
office of Captain Searle, of < Iskaloosa, learn- 
ing the abstract and insurance business. 
He then read law for a year with Major 
J. F. Lacey, now congressman from the 
sixth Io\- a district, and afterward entered 
the law department of the State University, 
at Iowa City, where he was graduated with 
the class of 1884. 

Immediately thereafter Mr. Thomas 
was admitted to the Iowa bar and the same 
year was licensed to practice in the United 
States district and circuit courts. He came 
a: once to Fort Dodge, and has since en- 
gaged in practice in real estate law in the 
courts. At the same time he has carried 
on an abstract, land and loan business. He 
is now associated with H. E. Bush}', an at- 
torney, and the firm is doing an extensive 
business. Mr. Thomas has property in Kan- 
sas, Nebraska, Colorado. North Dakota and 
in various places in Iowa, and now owns 
twenty-two hundred acres in Webster coun- 
ty. He also does a general insurance business 
and his large patronage in that department 
has materially increased his income. In addi- 
tion to ill his other interests he individually 
operates two farms, which he has stocked 
with fine grades of cattle and horses. He 
has two creameries, one at Fort Dodge and 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



447 



■the other at Industry, and altogether he em- 
ploys about forty men. He owns and con- 
ducts a milk depot, and sends out four 
wagons from the Oakdale dairy, of which 
h,' is the proprietor. This is situated three 
miles west of the" town and is equipped with 
al! modem accessories for the care of milk. 
His stock farm, situated two and a half 
miles north of the town, comprises five hun- 
dred and eighty acres and the one on the 
west of Fort Dodge contains four hundred 
and eighty acres. He also has a farm near 
Barnum, and each one of his farming prop 
cnies is worth about fifty thousand dollars. 
On the 1st of October, 1885, was cele- 
brated the marriage of Mr. Thomas and 
Miss Mice Busby, of Mahaska county, 
Iowa, and unto them have been born two 
children: Dana E and Edith Irene, aged 
respectively fifteen and three years. The 
parents hold membership in the Methodist 
Episcopal church, take an active interest in' 
its work and contribute liberally to its sup- 
port. Mr. Thomas is one of its trustees. 
He has served for one term as a member of 
the city council and is always deeply inter- 
1 ted in everything pertaining to the wel- 
fare and progress of the community. Fort 
Dodge ranks him among her leading and 
valued citizens. His business success seems 
almost phenomenal, vet it has been won 
'along the lines of old and time-tried max- 
ims. It proves that "honesty is the best 
policy," for in all his dealings he has been 
straightforward and honorable, following 
no questionable methods, his career bearing 
the closest investigation and scrutiny, llis 
judgment, however, is rarely at fault in 
business matters, his perseverance conquers 
obstacles and his unremitting diligence has 
gained f> r him enviable prosperity, while 
ai the same time he has maintained an un- 
tarnished reputation. Such a man is a 



power in any community, and Fort Dodge 
is fortunate that he allied his interests with 
hers. 



C. H. CHURCHILL, M. D. 

One of the most exacting of all the 
higher lines of occupation to which a man 
may lend his energies is that of the physi- 
cian. A most scrupulous preliminary train- 
ing is demanded and a nicety of judgment 
little understood by the Laity. Then again 
the profession brings its devotees into 
almost constant association with the sadder 
side of life — that of pain and suffering, — 
sc that a mind capable of great self-control 
and a hea.rl responsive and sympathetic arc- 
essential attributes of him who would essay 
the practice of the healing art. Thus when 
piofessional success is attained in any in- 
stance it may lie taken as certain that such 
measure of success has been thoroughly 
merited. Doctor Churchill has won a most 
enviable position in the ranks of his chosen 
calling, and his practice extends far and 
wide in Webster county, where so many 
years of his life have been spent. 

The Doctor was born in Madison, Wis- 
consin, May 21, 1858, and is a son of E. A. 
and Laura (Powers) Churchill, the former 
a native of Leroy, New York. In the fam- 
ily were hut two children, and the sister of 
1 air subject died when two and one-half 
years of age. The father took up his abode 
in the Badger state in 1N45 and there re- 
sided tTr twenty years, coming hi Webster 
county, Iowa, in October, 1865. He was a 
contractor and builder and for the past ten 
years has lived retired. On arriving in this 
county he took up his abode in Fulton town- 
ship, securing fn m the government the 
homestead claim in 1866. There was only 



448 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



one house between their primitive dwelling 
and Fort Dodge, a distance of ten miles, — 
their neighbor being J. Q. Mack. Three 
aunts of the Doctor, who are sisters of his 
father, are still living upon the old home 
place. 

Doctor Churchill began his education in 
Iowa in the summer of l866, when he at- 
tended school fur a month, the teacher being 
Anna J. Churchill, who instructed the chil- 
dren of that part of the county in his father's 
In une. Through the period of his boyhi od 
and youth he assisted in the cultivation of 
the fields during the summer months and in 
the winter season continued his education. 
At the age of* nineteen he began teaching 
and was a successful instructor. Having 
mastered the branches of the common 
schi .els, he further continued his own edu- 
cation in Cornell College, at Mount Ver- 
non, leaving that institution after com- 
pleting the work of the junior year. Pre- 
paring for medical practice in the Rush 
Medical College of Chicago, he was grad- 
uated in that institution in [886 with the 
degree of M. D., and nine years later the 
degree of Master of Arts was conferred 
upon him by Cornell College. Dr. Churchill 
began practice in Lehigh, where he remained 
until June. 1888, when he came to Fort 
Dodge, where he has since enjoyed a large 
and constantly growing patronage. He is 
a general practitioner, yet pays much at- 
tention to surgical work and is particularly 
^killed in that department of the profession. 

On the 1 8th of September, 1885, was 
celebrated the marriage of our subject and 
Miss Cora A. Bond, of Lehigh, who died 
March _>_>. 1901, leaving two sons: Charles 
I'arkes Bradford, who was born October 
20, [887; and Glenwood Bond, born Au- 
gust 15, 1890. In his political views the 
Doctor is a Democrat, endorsing the prin- 



ciples set forth by Grover Cleveland. In 
[892 he was elected coroner and filled that 
position continuously until 1897. He be- 
Icngs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity; 
the Ancient Order of United Workmen: 
the Modern Woodmen of America: the 
Knights of the Maccabees; the Royal Ar- 
canum; and the Auxiliary of the Ancient 
Order of United Workmen. He is medical 
examiner for all of these orders with the 
exception of the first named, and he is now 
surgeon for the Minneapolis & St. Louis 
Railroad. In the line of his profession he 
is connected with the Fort Dodge District 
Medical Society, the Sioux Valley Medical 
Society, the Iowa State Medical Society, 
the American Medical Association, the 
Iowa State Railway Surgeons Society and 
the Iowa State Western Medical Associ- 
ation. The Doctor is a deep, earnest and 
discriminating student, interested in every- 
thing that tends to advance his profession 
or to solve the problem to that mystery 
which we call life. He keeps thoroughly in- 
formed concerning the advanced thought of 
the day and his efficiency is shown in the ex- 
cellent results which follow his labor. 



ERWIX TAYLOR. 



A native son of Iowa. Mr. Taylor was 
bom in Delaware county. October 29, i860, 
s son of Seth and Clarinda (Raymond) Tay- 
lor, who are now living on a small farm on 
section 7. Burnside township. The parents 
were born in Massachusetts, and two of the 
mother's brothers were soldiers in the Civil 
war. Of the eight children born into the 
family two died in infancy, and the others 
are: William, who married Catherine Lee. 
now deceased, and resides in South Dakota: 




ERWIN TAYLOR 




MRS. ERWIN TAYLOR 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



453 



Chester, a fanner in Webster county, luwa, 
who married Evelyn Floyd; Lewis, a farmer 
in Minnesota, who married Mary Bower; 
Erwin; Ora, living near Lehigh, Iowa, who 
married Anna Nichols; Thomas, living- in 
South Dakota, who married Susie Manore; 
Carrie, who lives in Clay canity. Iowa, and 
is the wife of Albert Montrie. 

Air. Taylor was educated m the district 
schools and worked at farming until the 
time of his marriage, August 21, 1881, with 
Alary A. Daniels, who was born November 
20, 1S60. Her parents were natives re- 
spectively of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Mrs. 
Taylor has four brothers and sisters living, 
namely: Lucy Ann. who is the wife of 
Benjamin Ouibell, of Vincent, Iowa; I". X.. 
who married Eva Widick and lives near Le- 
high; Flora E.. who married William H. 
Goodrich and lives east of Lehigh; and 
Emma, who is the wife of Arthur Owen- 
son. of Winnebago count}. Air. and Mrs. 
Tayli >r have tw< > children : Alfred, win 1 \\ as 
born June 11, iSS_>. and Besta, who was 
In irn April 28, 1890. 

After his marriage Mr. Taylor removed 
to the northern part of Webster count}-, 
where he lived on a farm for two years, 
after which he rented his father-in-law's 
farm for a couple of years. The farm which 
he now own-, and lives upon was rented in 
1885 for three years, after which he pur- 
chased eight}' acres of the land, and as his 
fortunes have increased has kept adding to 
his possessions until at present he has to 
show for his industry and enterprise two 
hundred and ninety-five acres of good farm 
land all in one body. He is engaged in gen- 
eral farming and stock-raising, and feeds 
considerable cattle, ami does his own ship- 
ping. His interests are by no means self- 
centered, but extend to the needs of his 
fellow townsmen and to the general im- 



provement of the community of which he is 
a valued citizen. He is a stock-holder in 
the Lehigh Savings Lank, and in the cream- 
er}- at Burnside. A Republican in nal 
politics, he held the office of road commis- 
sioner for eight years, and is at present a 
memb [tool board. Both Air. and 

Mrs. Taylor are members of the United 
Brethren church in Clay township. 



ELMER L. ANDERS! >N. 

The farming- interests of Burnside town- 
ship are signally advanced by the praisewor- 
thy efforts of Elmer L. Anderson, who has 
a fine farm of one hundred and sixtj 
on section 5. He was born in Lain Alto 
count}-, [owa, April 21, 1867, his parents 
having settled there the year before. The 
father, who is now engaged in the insurance 
business in Fort Dodge, was a valiant sol- 
dier during the Civil war, and braved the 
hardships and dangers incident to strife for 
four years and six months. 

The education of Elmer L. Anderson 
was acquired in the public schools of Em- 
met and Webster counties, and at the age 
01 twenty-three years he entered upon an in- 
dependent farming life upon a place f 
eight}- acres purchased on section 5] Burn- 
side township. In his father's family, be- 
sides himself, were four sisters: Florence, 
who is teaching- at Tobin College, at Fort 
: Alattie. who is teaching- in the public 
schools at Fort Lodge; Mae. who is engaged 
in educational work at Callender, Iowa ; and 
Ernie, whi 1 died in infancy. 

On February 22, [891, Mr. Anderson 
was united in marriage with Grace AJcIntire. 
win 1 was 1, irn X< i-\ ember 9, [869, ami v 
parents now live in Lehigh, where tin 



454 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



conducting a restaurant. Mrs. Anderson has 
four sisters and one brother: Malissa, who 
is the wife of Frank Tuller, of Fort Dodge; 
Rose, who also lives in Fort Dodge; George, 
who lives at Lehigh; Elmai, who is the wife 
of J. M. Fortney, of Otho, Iowa; and Hal- 
lie, who is living at home. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Anderson have been born three children : 
Clarence, born October 31, 1892; Merle, 
born November 16, 1893; and Max, born 
June 14, 1895. 

After his marriage Mr. Anderson went 
to housekeeping on his farm and lived there 
four years, and also worked other land which 
was rented. He was so- successful that he 
later disposed of that place and bought the 
larger one, upon which he now resides, and 
where he is engaged in general farming and 
hog raising. He thoroughly understands the 
business to which he is devoting the best 
years of his life, and his friends predict a 
continuance of his present prosperity. 



THOMAS S. BILSTAD. 

This well-known resident of Callender is 
a Norwegian by birth, and in his successful 
business career he has shown the character- 
istic thrift and enterprise of his race. Be- 
ginning with no capital except that acquired 
by his own industry, he has accumulated 
some valuable property, and is to-day one of 
the mi .st prosperous citizens in the western 
part of the county. 

Mr. Bilstad was born in Norway June 5, 
1852, and received a fair common-school 
education in his native land. In 1871, at the 
age of nineteen years, he crossed the ocean, 
and on landing on the shores of this country 
proceeded at once to Vernon county, Wis- 
consin, where he worked at railroad con- 



struction for three years, in the meantime 
gaining a knowledge of the English lan- 
guage. 

At the end of that time Mr. Bilstad came 
to Webster count}-, Iowa, in company 'with 
his father and the other members of the fam- 
ily, the journey being made with an ox- 
team, while driving their other stock. They 
arrived here in May, 1875. Our subject 
purchased one hundred and sixty acres of 
wild prairie land, and immediately set to 
work to break the virgin soil with ox-teams. 
LJpon his place he built a small house, and as 
time passed made many other useful and 
valuable improvements, including two sets 
of good farm buildings separated by a road 
which divides his farm. He has extended 
the boundaries of his place from time to 
time until they now contain four hundred 
acres, which he placed under a high state 
of cultivation, and which he successfully ope- 
rated until 1896. In 1892 he bought the 
farm where he now resides, but did not lo- 
cate thereon until four years later. This 
place is pleasantly located just north of Cal- 
lender, in fact ten acres of it are within the 
corporate limits of the village. It consists 
of fifty acres and is well improved, there be- 
ing a large and comfortable residence, in 
which the family now live. 

In 1882, in this county, Mr. Bilstad mar- 
ried Miss Melissa Nelson, also a native of 
Norway, who died three years later, leaving 
one daughter. Mollie, who is at home with 
her father. He was again married in 1886, 
his second union being with Mrs. Christina 
Larson, who was born and reared in Nor- 
wav. She has one son by her first mar- 
riage, C. M. Larson, a commercial traveler 
residing in Callender, who is married and 
has three children, Floyd, Jay and Francis. 
With our subject resides his grandson, Clar- 
ence Johnson, whose mother died when he 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



455 



was two years old, and who has since made 
his In inie with his grandfather. 

Politically Mr. Bilstad has been a stanch 
supporter of the Republican party and its 
principles since he cast his first presidential 
ballot for Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, but 
he has never cared for the honors or emolu- 
ments of public office, though he served as 
supervisor of highways at one time. He 
and his family are members of the Lutheran 
church of Callender, and are among the 
most highly respected and honored citizens 
of their community. Air. Bilstad belongs 
to that class of men whom the world terms 
self-made, for coming to this country empty- 
handed, he has conquered all the obstacles 
in the path to success, and has not only 
secured for himself a handsome competence, 
but by his efforts has materially advanced 
the interests of the community with which he 
is associated. 



JAMES MARSH. 

Although during much of his active life 
Mr. Marsh has been a resident of Kansas, 
he has now returned to Webster county, 
where he made his home during his youth. 
Since his return he has taken up farm pur- 
suits with the energy and determination 
characteristic of him in every walk of life, 
and is meeting with the success that his 
efforts merit. He was born in Lake county, 
Illinois, January 8, 1848, and is a son of 
George Marsh, Sr., concerning whom men- 
tion is made upon another page in this vol- 
ume. When he was but a boy he gained his 
primary education in the schools of Lake 
county, and after the family came to Iowa 
he was a student in the schools of Webster 
county. When he was seventeen he left 
school in order to turn his whole attention 



to assisting his father on the home farm, 
and while so doing he acquired a thorough 
knowledge of all the details connected with 
the management of a farm. 

When twenty-one years- of age Mr. 
Marsh started nut in the world fur himself. 
At that time much was being said concerning 
the future of Kansas and the prospects it 
offered ambitious and energetic young men. 
These reports induced him to settle in that 
state. At first he was employed in killing 
buffalo and antelope, the hides of which 
were disposed of at fair prices. He was 
also employed in herding cattle. Later, how- 
ever, he acquired land holdings and gave his 
attention to the clearing and improving of a 
farm in Russell county. 

For some years after going west he led 
a bachelors life, but finally brought a bride 
to his home, having been married at Russell 
February 25, 1881, to Miss Elizabeth E. 
Burnett-Blanding, who was born in Missouri 
May 9, 1864. She is a daughter of Thomas 
and Elizabeth (Moss) Burnett, natives re- 
spectively of Kentucky and Tennessee. In 
1864 the family moved from Missouri to 
Iowa and settled at Eddyville, Wapello coun- 
ty, where Air. Burnett died during the same 
year. In 1868 Mrs. Burnett became the 
wife of Levi Blanding, who was a native 
of New York state. After their marriage 
they continued to make their home in Eddy- 
ville until 1877, when they removed to Bar- 
ton county, Kansas. There the death of 
Airs. Blanding occurred October i_\ 1001. 
Air. Blanding still makes his home in that 
county, as does also the only sister of Mrs. 
Marsh, Martha, who is the wife of Freder- 
ick Haddon. The only child of Mr. and 
Airs. Marsh, Charles Albert, was born De- 
cember 7, 188 1. They have also an adopted 
daughter, Mamie, who was born April 15, 
1893. 



456 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



On disposing of his Kansas laud, in 
[896, Mr. Marsh returned to Iowa, arriving 
in Webster county on the 1st of June. At 
first he rented farm property here. His first 
purchase was made in February, [900, when 
he In night, on section 30, Yell township, one 
hundred and sixty acres of raw and unim- 
proved land, which, however, his judgment 
told him would be susceptible to cultivation 
and capable of being largely enhanced in 
value. Since settling on this place be has 
devoted his attention closely to the improve- 
ment of the property, and has erected a sub- 
stantial class of buildings, including house, 
barn and outbuildings. He shares the opin- 
ion held by many farmers that more profit 
can be secured from feeding crops to stock 
than from selling them in the markets. 
Therefore much of his grain is used for 
feed. He has on his farm a number of 
Shorthorn cattle. .Morgan and Norman 
horses, and thoroughbred O. I. C. hogs, in 
the breeding of all of which be is engaged. 
His political views are in harmony with the 
platform of the Republican party, and his 
support is given to its men and measures. 
In religion he is connected with the Baptist 
church, while fraternally be is associated 
with the Knights of Pythias. 



ALBERT A. WILKINSON. 

Albert A. Wilkinson, who resides on 
section j 1 , Gowrie township, is the owner of 
a valuable farm of three hundred and 
twenty acres on sections j 1 and 22, whose 
neat and thrifty appearance well indicates 
his careful supervision. Substantial im- 
provements are surrounded by well-tilled 
fields, and all of the accessories and con- 
veniences of a model farm are there found. 



Mr. Wilkinson is proud to claim Iowa 
as his native state, his birth having occurred 
in Tama count)'. July 30, 1856. His father, 
Anthony Wilkinson, was born in Ireland in 
1 81 7, and was a lad of fifteen years when 
lie came to the United States with bis father, 
William Wilkinson. The family located in 
Coshocton county, Ohio, and were among 
the hr->t settlers of that locality. In early 
life Anthony Wilkinson learned the car- 
penter's and joiner's trade, which he fol- 
lowed for some years, and in the meantime 
went up and down the Ohio and Mississippi 
rivers between Cincinnati and New Orleans 
many times. He and a brother b >th t< » »k part 
in the Mexican war and afterward received 
land warrants for their services. In 1849 
the family all removed to Iowa and took up 
their residence in Tama county, where the 
grandfather of our subject died some time 
later. Anthony Wilkinson located his land 
warrant in that count}', and also bought and 
entered other tracts of land to the amount 
of four hundred acres, which he fenced and 
improved, converting the tract into a good 
farm. In 1850 he returned to Coshocton 
county. Ohio, and there married Miss Sarah 
Ann Graham, who was born in that county, 
of Scotch-Irish ancestry, her father being 
one of the pioneers of the locality. Mr. 
and Mrs. Wilkinson spent their entire mar- 
ried life in Tama county, Iowa, where he 
died November 10, 1888, and she Decem- 
ber 26, 1896, their remains being interred 
in the home cemetery. They had a family 
of twelve children who reached years of 
maturity, and three sons and two daughters 
are still living. 

On the old home farm Albert A. Wil- 
kinson grew to manhood, early becoming 
familiar with every department of farm 
work. He first attended the common 
schools and later the Friends Academy at 




A. A. WILKINSON 




MRS. A. A. WILKINSON 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



461 



La Grand, and subsequent!) engaged in 
teaching' in lama and Webster counties. 
It was in 1880 that he came to this county 
and located in Gowrie township where he 
now resides. For three or four years he 
and a brother engaged in farming together, 
I nit since then he has been alone in business. 
His first tract of land consisted of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres of raw prairie, which 
he fenced and broke, ami later he added to 
it a tract of one hundred and twenty acres 
adjoining and still later forty acres more. 
He lias erected thereon good and substan- 
tial buildings, and to-day has one of the best 
improved and most desirable farms of its 
size in Webster county. In connection with 
its operation he is also successfully engaged 
in stock raising. 

At Marshalltown, Iowa, December 27, 
1883, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
Wilkinson and Miss Martha McGrew, also 
a native of Tama count}'. Her father, 
Findley McGrew, was born and reared in 
Ohio, and there wedded Miss Mary C. Tra- 
liern, a native of Knox county, that state. 
In 1856 he removed to Marshall county, 
Iowa, and throughout the remainder of his 
life was engaged in farming in Marshall 
and Tama counties. He died April 23, 
189 1, but his widow is still living, and now 
makes her home with a daughter in Mar- 
shalltown. Iowa. They had eight children, 
four suns and four daughters, of whom one 
son died in childhood and three sons and 
three daughters survive. Mrs. Wilkinson 
was reared and educated in Marshall county. 
< M~ the three children born to our subject 
and his wife one died in infancy and Wil- 
ford at the age of four years. The only 
one now living is Ralph R., who was born 
June 25, 1886. 

Politically Mr. Wilkinson has been a 
life-long Republican, having supported every 



presidential candidate of that party since 
voting for James A. Garfield in 1880, but 

lie has never sought political honors, pre- 
ferring to give his entire time and attention 
to his business interests. He is a stanch 
friend of education, and has efficiently 
served as a member of the school board and 
treasurer of the district. In the spring of 
[887 lie returned to the old home farm and 
carried it on for two years, but since 1889 
has resided uninterruptedly in this county, 
lie attends and supports the Methodist 
Episcopal church, of which his wife is a 
member, and both merit and receive the re- 
spect and esteem of all who know them. 



CHRIS M. SOLSO. 

Chris M. Solso. living on section 1, irr 
Washington township, was born in Norway 
March 29, 1863, a son of Mathew and Anna 
(Simmsrue) Solso, also natives of Norway. 
The mother died in her native land about 
1867, and in 1870 the father brought his lit- 
tle family to America, and upon landing in 
Xew York proceeded to Iowa Falls, Iowa, 
and front there to Webster county. He lo- 
cated on section 25, Washington township, 
and in 1878 thought to improve his prospects 
by removal to Antelope county, Nebraska, 
where he bought land and where, in 1880, 
he married Bertha Oleson. He then moved 
to Newman Grove, Madison county, Ne- 
braska, where he opened a general merchan- 
dise store, which he is still successfull) con- 
ducting. He is a Republican in politics, and 
is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran 
church. There were thirteen children born 
of his first union, namely: Gillena, wife of 
Michael Thompson, living in Boone county, 
Nebraska; .Andrew, who married Anna Hov- 



462 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



elschrude, and after her deatli wedded Mary 
Anderson, and lives in Newman Grove, Ne- 
braska ; Annie, who is the wife of Louis 
Nuesi me, and lives in Webster county, 
Iowa : Nettie, wife of Olof Cleveland, living 
in Webster county, Iowa; John, who is un- 
married and lives in Newman Grove, Ne- 
braska; Olaf, who married Rosa Holverson, 
and lives in Newman Grove; Ola, who died 
at the age of fifteen years; Matthew, who is 
unmarried and lives in Newman Grove; Ma- 
tilda, who also is single and lives in Newman 
Grove; Selma, who was the twin sister of 
Matilda, and died in infancy; Clara, who 
died at the age of five years: Carl, who died 
at the age of three years; and two infants 
who died before being named. 

While still quite young Mr. Solso was 
obliged to assist in the family support, and 
when fourteen years old discontinued attend- 
ance at the district schools and began to 
work out by the month on surrounding 
farms. On December 28, 1885, at the school 
house in Washington township, he married 
Gurine L. Nelson, who was born in Clinton 
county August 19, t868, a daughter of Hen- 
rv and Belle ( Belland) ' Nelson, who were 
born in Norway June 9, 1842, and October 
7, 1840, respectively. The parents were 
married May 14, 1863, in Norway, and came 
to America July 4, 1868, and settled in Clin- 
ton county, Iowa, near Calamus. Here the 
father died December 8, 1875, after which 
the mother removed to Story county, near 
Story City, where she lived for five years, 
going then to Webster county, where, in 
1880, she married Berger Larson, a native 
of Norway. Mr. Larson died May 14. 
1899. and his wife passed away at the home 
of her son-in-law, Mr. Solso, December 20. 
1901, at the age of sixty-one years. Mr. 
Nelson and Mr. Larson were Republicans, 
and both were members of the Norwegian 



Lutheran church. Mrs. Solso is the second 
oldest of the children in her mother's fam- 
ily. Martha died at the age of fourteen ; 
Hannah, the wife of Price Cunningham, 
lives in Kossuth county, Iowa ; Margaret 
died in infancy ; and Carl J. died at the age 
of three months. To Mr. and Mrs. Solso 
have been born seven children : Henry Mar- 
tin, born February 22, 1887; Arthur S., 
March 7, 1889; Carl H., August n, 1892; 
Mabel Luella, July 7, 1894; Lawrence G., 
March 20, 1896; Helen Amanda, August 7, 
[899; and John Adrian, December 15, 1901. 
After his marriage Mr. Solso rented 
land for a couple of years, and then removed 
to Pocahontas county, Iowa, where he re- 
mained for a year. Upon returning to Wash- 
ington township, Webster county, he bought 
eighty acres of land in section 1, built a com- 
modious and well-planned house and large 
barns, and introduced all modern improve- 
ments. He is engaged in general farming, 
and makes a specialty of raising high-grade 
stock for market. He is a Republican, and 
has held many township offices, ami nig 
others being that of school trustee, a position 
maintained for several years. He is a mem- 
ber of the Norwegian Lutheran church. Mr. 
Solso is a progressive and enlightened citi- 
zen, and takes an active interest in general 
township and county affairs. 



FRANCIS FAWKES. 

No more earnest advocate of kindliness 
ami humanity has exerted an uplifting influ- 
ence in Webster county than Francis 
Fawkes, home missionary in the Congrega- 
tional church and pastor of the church at 
Otho. He was born in Gloucestershire, 
England, December 20, 1838, and is a son 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



463 



of Samuel and Sarali (Austin) Fawkes, also 
natives- of England. The father, who was 
a we.uer it fine cloth, worked at his chosen 
occupation until about forty years of age, 
and then entered the employ of the govern- 
ment in the brass foundry at Sheerness. He 
came to America in 1866 and located near 
Dubuque, Iowa, where he farmed on a small 
scale and worked in the lead mines. After 
the death of his wife, in 1893, at the age of 
seventy-nine years, he came to live with his 
son. at whose home he died in January, 
1896, at the age of seventy-nine years. He 
had three sons: Charles first married Jennie 
Samuels, now deceased, and afterward mar- 
ried her sister, Kate, with whom he is living 
in Dubuque ; and Allen O. married Clara 
Woodhouse, and is also living in Dubuque. 
Six children born into the family died in in- 
fancy. 

At the early age of thirteen the common- 
school education of Francis Hawkes was in- 
terrupted by the necessity of self-support, 
"and he therefore entered a cloth factory. 
where he remained for four years. He then 
engaged as warehouseman for a drug con- 
cern at Sheerness, and at the end of eight 
years decided to avail himself of the larger 
possibilities of America. Arriving in the 
states March 7. 1864, ne found the country 
in the throes of the Civil war, and at once 
betook himself to Dubuque, Iowa, where he 
found employment as a clerk in a drug store 
for two years. He then entered the home 
missionary work of the Congregational 
church in Iowa, and has been connected 
with this branch of endeavor continuously 
since 1866. As predicted by early circum- 
stances, his education has been self-acquired, 
and is therefore on broad and practical lines. 
and in keeping with the demands of his work 
and influential position in the community. 

Fellow passenger on the ship that 



brought Mr. Fawkes to America in 1864 
was Elizabeth Fawkes, a first cousin, whom 
he married in 1865, in Dubuque, Iowa. Mrs. 
Fawkes, who was the mother of one son, 
Herbert, now living in Chicago, died three 
years after her marriage, of consumption. 
On September 1, 1869, Mr. Fawkes married 
Susan Woodhouse, of Dubuque, Iowa, who 
was born October 26, 1847. Her parents 
were natives of Kentucky. During their 
fourteen years of happy married life Mr. and 
Mis. Fawkes lived in Durango, where he 
continued his ministrations in the church and 
out of it, and where his wife was killed by 
lightning July 4, 1883. She left two sisters 
and one brother : Josqah, who lives in Du- 
rango ; Airs. Amanda Clark, who resides in 
Texas ; and Malina, who is unmarried and 
living' in Durango. 

Of the second union of Mr. Fawkes 
seven children were born : Harriet, the wife 
of N. J. L. Findley, of Otho township, this 
county; Edith A., wife of John Spensley, 
of Dubuque; Otis, who died at the age of 
four years; Clement, who is living at home; 
Nora; Sarah; and Ernest. On November 
20, 1890, Mr. Fawkes married Margaret W. 
Martin, who was born in Scotland, and came 
to America in 1875. She is one of five sisters 
now living: Jeafiette, the widow of Andrew 
Craig, of Fort Dodge: Mrs. Francis 
Fawkes; Mrs. Jane Forbes, of Kalo; Mrs. 
Andrew Johnson, who is living on a farm 
in Otho township ; and Mrs. Thomas Knott, 
of Colorado. 

While preaching in Franklin county, 
Iowa, Mr. Fawkes lived at Dows for three 
years, after which he came to Otho and took 
charge of the church here for live years. 
He then resigned and returned to Dubuque 
county, where he farmed and preached in 
the Congregational church during twelve 
summers. In 1889 he returned to Otho and 



464 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



assumed charge of the church here, and has 
since made this his home and his uninter- 
rupted object of solicitude. Mr. Fawkes 
owns eighty acres of land, upon which he 
has placed about twenty-five hundred dol- 
lars' worth of improvements, and which has 
a good house, barn and outbuildings, with a 
thorough system of drainage. The better t> 1 
attend to the multitudinous duties incident 
to his pastorate, this farm is ■ rented out, 
though Mr. Fawkes makes his home upon 
the place. He has a wide circle of friends 
scattered over the localities which have at 
different times benefited by his largeness of 
heart and his practical, helpful Christianity, 
and the good that he has accomplished has 
been limited only by the time allowed f( ir 
the doing. 



RUFUS P. HUNTER. 

Roland township probably has no more 
prominent or influential citizen than Rufus 
P. Hunter, whose home is on section 26, 
where he owns and operates a fine farm of 
three hundred and sixty acres. He came to 
Iowa in 1850, and for a third of a century 
has been a resident of Webster enmity. He 
was born in Botetourt county, Virginia, on 
the James river, September 30. 1838, and is 
a worthy representative of one of the first 
families of that state. His paternal grand- 
father, Francis Hunter, was a native of the 
Old Dominion, as was also bis father, Lewis 
C. Hunter, who was born in 1799. On 
reaching manhood the latter married Mis> 
Rebecca Linkinhoker, who was born in the 
same state, and there they continued to re- 
side until after the birth of five of their chil- 
dren. By occupation the father was a 
farmer. On leaving Virginia, in 1856, he 
came to Iowa and settled in Marion county, 



being one of the pioneers of that region. 
I'pi m the farm which he there opened up 
he spent the remainder of his life, and died 
in 1887, his wife surviving him about ten 
years. 

Mr. Hunter, of this review, was seven- 
teen years of age when he accompanied his 
parents on their removel to Iowa, and he as- 
sisted his father in the arduous task of open- 
ing up a new farm in Marion county. His 
school privileges being meager, he is what 
may be termed a self-educated man. On 
reaching manhood he left the parental roof 
and worked as a farm hand for several sum- 
mers. 

On the 22d of March, 1866, in Marion 
county, Mr. Hunter led to the marriage 
altar Miss Rachel Metcalf, a native of Kos- 
ciusko count}-, Indiana, and a daughter of 
Joseph and Sarah Metcalf, who removed 
with their family to Marion county, Iowa, 
in 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Hunter had eight 
children, namely: Elva Ellen, who died in 
infancy; Charles, at home; Warren, who is 
married and resides in Callender, Iowa; 
Mosier, Oran, William, Grover and Maude, 
all at home. The daughter has successfully 
engaged in teaching school in this county,. 
and is now a student at Tobin College, Fort 
Dodge. 

After his marriage Mr. Hunter engaged 
in farming in Marion county for some 
years, but in 1876 he rented his farm, which 
consisted of eighty acres, and removed to^ 
Pleasantville, where as a carpenter he en- 
gaged in contracting and building for two 
years. He then came to Webster county 
and purchased the farm of eighty acres 
where be now resides. In his farming op- 
erations he has been eminently successful, 
and has accumulated considerable property, 
being now the owner of three hundred and 
sixtv acres of land, divided into three 




R. P. HUNTER 




MRS. R. P. HUNTER 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



469 



Janus. With the exception of twenty-lour 

acres Mr. Hunter has broken all his land. 
There is a good residence upon his place, 
and the barns ami other outbuildings are in 
perfect harmony therewith. In connection 
with general farming Mr. Hunter is quite 
■extensively engaged in the raising and feed- 
ing of stock, and annually ships from two to 
four carloads to the city markets. A man 
ot indomitable energy and perseverance, he 
has prospered in his undertakings, and 
through his own well-directed efforts has 
become one of the substantial citizens ot 
his community. 

Air. Hunter's political support is given 
the Democracy, and he cast his first presi- 
dential ballot for Stephen A. Douglas in 
[860. lie was been a delegate to numerous 
county and state conventions, and assisted 
in nominating Boise for governor of the 
state. For fourteen years he served as jus- 
tice ot the peace, and filled the office of 
supervisor of highways about the same 
length of time. He was also a member of 
the school board several years, and his 
official duties have all been most capably 
and satisfactorily^ performed. Fraternally 
he is a member of Cowrie Lodge, A. F. & 
A. M., and is a man of considerable promi- 
nence in the community where he resides. 



T. P. URELIUS. 



The well-improved farm of one hundred 
and sixty acres in Burnside township belong- 
ing to J. P. Urelius is a property acquired 
after long years of struggle and untiring 
industry on the part of the owner. How- 
ever, a willingness to work is a national 
trait of his Swedish countrymen, and many 
of them have early surrounding conditions 
in common with his own. He was born in 
Sweden January 20. 1847. anc ^ owing to the 



limited resources of the Family, was obliged 
when very young to devote his time to much 
work and little play, and in consequence edu- 
cation played a minor pan during his child- 
hood. 

His father was born in Sweden in 1819, 
and his mother, formerly Eliza Catherine 
Surnson, was horn in the same country in 
1824. and died in 1898. The parents never 
emigrated from the fatherland, and letters 
received from the head 1 f the family indi- 
cate that he is still fixing and in possession 
of unimpaired faculties. There were five 
son, m the family, and of these. Gust mar- 
ried Matilda Carlson and lives in Dayton 
township. Webster county, Iowa; Carl Emil 
married Anna Bolun and lives in Henry 
county. Illinois: Jonas August married Tilda 
Colen and lives in Clay township. Webster 
county, Iowa; and Per married Hilda Gund- 
bach and lives in Chicago 1 . Of the daughters 
Christine Elizabeth lives in Sweden, as does 
Caroline Sophia, wife of August Samuelson. 

Conscious of the limitations which con- 
fr< nteil him in his native land. Mr. Urelius 
emigrated to America in 1868, and settled 
in Altoona, Illinois, where he worked for 
others for several years. He then rented 
land upon which he lived for about six years, 
and in the management of which he was 
fairly successful. Much of his good fortune 
in life he generously attributes to the fru- 
gality and assistance of his wife, whom be 
married January 9, 1877, and who was, be- 
fore her marriage, Christina Swans. m. a na- 
tive of Sweden, born September _>^. 1854. 
Mrs. Urelius came to America with her par- 
ents in 187J, and located in Altoona, where 
her father died in 1899. and her mother in 
1895. She had limited educational oppor- 
tunities in her youth, and after coming to 
the United States worked out in Altoona 
until her marriage. She had four brothers, 



47o THE BIOGR M'llliWL RECORD. 

namely: rohn, who died al the age of wall September 27, 1839, '' l ' ' s a s " n "'" 

twentj nine years in America ; Andrew, who Robert and Elizabeth (Goldworthy) Quick, 

married Mar) Moline and lues in Moline, both oi whom died in England. There he 

Illinois; Charley, who married Miss Hfcti grew to manhood, and in early life was em- 

strom and lives in Galva, Illinois; and Ed ployed in the tin mines. Before leaving that 

ward, who married Pilla Johnson and lives countrj hcwas married in Cornwall; in May, 

at Altoona, Illinois. Three children have [862, to Miss Emma Bray, an English lady, 

Ihvii born to Mr. and Mrs. I'rclius, as fol- and a daughter of Josiah and Emma I Car- 
lows: Emma Elizabeth, who died al the age vis) Bray, who also died in the old country, 
of seventeen ; Selina fosephine, who is living Hiree years after their marriage Mr. 
:ii home; and Carl Edwin Luther, also al and Mrs. Quick crossed the ocean, and 
home. joined her brother, Michael Bray, In 
Mr. Urelius became identified with Michigan, our subject rinding emploj 
Webster county, Iowa, in 1882, and for ment in the copper mines of the Lake 
three years lived on a rented farm near liar- Superior region. The brother subsequently 
court, after which he removed to a rented came to Webster county; toWft, and Mrs. 
Farm in Dayton township, which continued Quick and her family afterward joined him, 
t<> l>e Ins home lor four years. In Clay while our subjeel remained in Michigan until 

township he later rented a farm for three [875, when he, tOO, came to this state. For 

years, and eventuall) saved enough money about seventeen years he engaged in farm 
t,> purchase his presenl farm in Burnside ing upon rented land in the southern part 
township. Since taking possession this farm of the county, but in [889 purchased one 
has been greatlj improved by Mr. Urelius, hundred and twenty acres in Roland town- 
general farm work being facilitated b) the ship, where he now resides. This place he 
addition of modern and labor-saving machin- has fenced, broke and improved, and also 
ery. He is a past master <>\ the faculty of has added to it until he now has one hun- 
tilling the soil to the best possible advan- died and sixty acres under a high state of 

tage, and as a result his crops are rarely dis- cultivation, lie has erected a comfortable 

appointing, and his finances have increased residence and good outbuildings, has tiled 
with the passing of every harvest. Mr. the land and set out fruit and shade trees. 
Urelius is a Republican in national politics, which add greatlj to its attractive appear- 
but has never sOUghl or desired official rcc- ance. At present he owns another tract of 
ognition. lie is a member of the Swedish fort} acres on section 28, the same township, 
Evangelical church at Burnside, and con- making two hundred acres in all. 

tributes to the extent of his ability toward Unto Mr. and Mrs. Quick were horn 

its maintenance and charities. nine children, as follows: Richard is now 

married and resides at (.'hire, [owa, being 

♦"♦"* 

agent ami telegraph operator lor the Rock 

RICH \KI) QUICK. Island Railroad al that place; Mary Kmma. 

who was horn in England, died in this coun- 

This well known farmer residing on sec try iii 1SS0. aged fifteen years; Bessie is the 

lion jo, Roland township, is a native i>\ wife of Thomas Nicholson, who owns a 

England, Ins birth having occurred in Corn- valuable farm adjoining that of our subject) 



I HE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



17' 



[da is the wife of Thomas Somerville, a 
substantial farmer of Roland township, 
whose sketch appears on another page of 
this volume; Anna is the wife of Charles 
Baxter, a residenl of Lake- < ii\. Iowa, and 
a conductor on the Chicago & Northwe tern 
Railroad; Neva is tin- wife oi Emerj Stet- 
son, a business man of Cherokee, Iowa; 
\\ illiam II., who is unmarried, is noi 
gaged in business in Lead, South Da 
kota ; Leona is the wife of Ira < arr, a farmer 
ol Ri land ti >\\ nship ; and R >l «rl I . is at 
home assisting his father in the operation 
ol the farm. 

Since becoming a naturalized i itizen Mr. 
Quick has always affiliated with the Reputn 
lican party, and cast his firsl presidential 

>te i' 'i" Rutherford B. I faj es in 1876 I te 

term as supervisor of highways, 

and has been a member of the school board, 

hui has ne\ er cai ed for political preferment. 

l!i 'th he and his w i fe are acti\ e and 

tent members of the Methodisl Episcopal 
church of ' iowrie, and arc held in the 
esl regard by all who have the plea Lire of 
their acquaintani 



ENOS A. CHURCHILL, 

The fitting reward of a well spent li 
honorable retirem< nt ft ind a pet ii id 

1 in whirh to enjoy the fruil -. of for 

in' 1 toil. 'I hrough many w.u - Mr I linn li 

ill was a well known factor in industrial life 
contributing largely to the improvement of 
I '"> t I >odge through his work a- 1 onl 
and builder, hut now, with a comfortable 
he is enjoying a well merited 
rest amid friends and neighbors, vbo e teem 
and honor him for his sterling worth. 
.Mr. Churchill was born in Leroy, Gene 



-mi y, < h ' 1 1 1., Septi mbei 1 1. 1831, 
and is a son of Bradford and Mar) I Mams) 
I hui chill, both of whom ■■• ei e nal i 
Vermont, when- they were reared and 
ncd. i liej rqjresented old New En 
families, and on lra\ ing the ' Ireen Mi 
state they took up their aljode in I 
New York, in 1821 . In in.; 1 il, 
to Niagara count) . oi the Empire 

w here they remained until [866, when li 

came ti i Iowa, purchasing a farm in Fulti n 
township, Webster county. I here the father 
carried on agricultural pursuits until his 
d< ath, w In hi ici ui i ed Man h • i . 1881 . w hen 
he was eight ; one eat 1 a agi I lie im ther 
died in I ulton tov nship, at tin agi 1 1 1 
two, Bradford < liurchill w a i carpi liter by 
trade and followed that pui uil in the eai lier 
eat oi hi ■ life, but latei 1 at 1 ied on fai m 
ing, In the famil) were 1 1 hildren, four 
oi whom yet survive, namelv : Rosetta, who 
is living on the old homestead in I 

hip : Eno V, of this rev iew ; Sarah 
J. and Judith Ann. who a re also living on the 

old hi 'ine fai 111 

Em >- \. < linn lull wa i Ii ill. 111 a 

old when his parents remo^ ed to Niagara 
1 ount) . New York, w hi re he pursued his 
education in the publii 1 h 1 arned 

the 1 .11 penti 1 ti ade In 18 

ard, taking up his abode near Mai 
\\ isconsin, w het e he ed farming 

his former 1 ccupatii n. For twent) 
In- made hi homi in tin Ba 
then - tught a mori 

ing in Webster county, towa, in 1865. For 
he lived in F01 ind on the- 

at ion ■ f that p 1 
- laim in Fulton tow nship 
his energies to the cultivation and impt 
ment of his land through tl ■ g lif- 

1 ars. I h- then returned to Fort I )i dge 
and followi until 



472 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



a recent date. Many evidences of his handi- 
work are seen in the substantial buildings 
of this city. He always lived faithful]}" up 
to the terms of his contract, was strictly fair 
and honorable in his business relations and 
therefore enjoyed the unqualified confidence 
of his fellow men. 

Air. Churchill was married February i, 
1855. to Laura Jane Powers, a native of 
Sacketts Harbor, New York, hut at the time 
of. her marriage a resident of Columbia coun- 
ty, Wisconsin. They had two children, and 
the daughter died at the age of two and a 
half years, while their son. C. H. Churchill, 
is now a prominent physician of Fort Dodge. 
The father has filled a number of local of- 
fices. He served as justice of the peace for 
six years; was township clerk for eight 
years; and in all life's relations he has been 
found true to duty. Since 1876 he has been 
a Democrat, but was formerly identified with 
the early Republican party, voting for Pres- 
ident Lincoln and General Grant. 



BERTEL LARSON. 

Bertel Larson is one of the most suc- 
cessful farmers and energetic business men 
of Roland township and his life is an ex- 
emplification of the term "the dignity of 
labor." The possibilities that America 
offers to her citizens he has utilized, and 
though he came to this country in limited 
circumstances, he has steadily and per- 
severingly worked his way upward, leaving 
the ranks of the many to stand among the 
successful few. 

Mr. Larson was horn in Denmark, De- 
cember 13. 1845, aiK ' ' s one °i a family of 
twelve children, of whom nine, five sons 
and four daughters, reached years of ma- 
turity. The other three died in infancy. Of 



this family nine came to America, two sisters 
of our subject being now residents of A\ "is- 
consin and another of Iowa, while one 
brother lives in Nebraska, another in 
Florida, and three (including a half- 
brother ) make their home in Iowa. 

It was in [862 that our subject crossed 
the Atlantic and took up his residence in 
New York, where he enlisted in December, 
1863, for three years, becoming a member 
of the Fifteenth United States Infantry, 
the Civil war being then in progress. As a 
sailor he was first on a scouting boat along 
the coast, but was later transferred to his 
command at .Mobile, and was in active serv- 
ice until the close of the war. His regiment 
was then ordered west and was stationed at 
Fort Wingate, New Mexico, where his term 
of enlistment expired and he was mustered 
out. For about eight years, however, he 
remained in the wilds of the west, engaged 
in hunting, trapping and scouting. 

In 1874 Mr. Larson went to Racine, 
Wisconsin, and was there married on the 
1st of November, 1875. to Miss Carrie T. 
Knutson. a native of Norway. They have 
become the parents of three sons : Lawrence 
C, Merril C. and William, who now assist 
in the operation of the home farm. 

Shortly after his marriage Mr. Larson 
brought his bride to Webster county, Iowa, 
and in 1876 purchased forty acres of land 
where he now resides, which he at once 
commenced to improve and cultivate. Meet- 
ing with success in his farming operations, 
he has added to this place from time to 1 time 
until he now has two hundred and eighty 
acres in the home farm, which is con- 
veniently located on section to. within a 
mile and a half of Callender. Mr. Larson 
also owns another tract of eighty acres in 
the same locality, making three hundred and 
sixty acres of land, which he has placed 




BERTEL LARSON 




MRS. BERTEL LARSON 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



477 



under a high state of cultivation, lie has 
not confined Ins attention wholly to agri 
cultural pursuits, however, hut has been in- 
terested in a number of business enter- 
prises, lie assisted in organizing the 
Farmers Alliance store at Callender. which 
was the beginning of that town, and lie was 
one of the directors and secretary of the as- 
sociation, which continued in business there 
for ten years. He is also a director and 
vice-president of the Callender Savings 
Bank, and a director and solicitor of the 
Webster County Mutual Insurance Com- 
pany. 

Mi'. Larson supported General U. S. 
Grant for the presidency in 1868 and 187J, 
but of recent years has been independent in 
politics. In 1877 he was the first constable 
elected in Roland township, anil has since 
filled various local offices, serving as super- 
visor of highways, township clerk and 
treasurer of the township, having filled the 
last named office for about twenty years. 
He has also been a delegate to county and 
state conventions, and has always faithfully 
discharged any duty which has devolved 
upon him either in public or private life. 
Sociallv he is a member of Gowrie Lodge, 
No. 506, A. F. & A. M., and is also con- 
nected with the Modern Woodmen of 
America and the Legion of Honor. 

For over twenty-six years Mr. Larson 
has been a resident of this county and has 
therefore witnessed the greater part of its 
growth and development. In its progress 
he has manifested a deep interest and has 
ever taken his part in support of those 
measures calculated to prove of public bene- 
fit. His strict integrity and honorable deal- 
ing in business commend him to the confi- 
dence of all : his pleasant manner wins him 
friends; and he is one of the popular and 
honored citizens of his community. 



WILLIAM SCHRAM. 

Much credit is due William Schram for 
the enterprise which has placed him among 
the foremost farmers of Burnside township. 
A native of Germany, he was born Novem- 
ber 15, i860, and when four years old came 
to America with his father, Ferdinand 
Schram, and family, the voyage lasting forty 
days. Arriving in the land for which he 
entertained such glowing hopes, the father 
lived in Chicago for three years and en- 
gaged in railroading, and continued the same 
occupation for six years after his removal 
to Boone, lova. At the end of that time 
he came to Webster count}', lova, took 
up his residence in the vicinity of Dayton, 
where he purchased a river claim of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres, and made thereon many 
improvements, but owing to a disputed title 
he eventually lost the property, which was 
the case with many other early settlers. 
While still occupying this property his wife 
died, July 1, 1873, and he eventually went 
to live with his son William, at whose home 
he passed away October 21, 1900. In the 
family, besides William, were Charles, who 
married Minnie Finnic and lives in Norfolk, 
Nebraska; John C, who is married and lives 
in Chicago; August, who married Mary 
Yost and lives in Hancock county, Iowa; 
Frank, who married Lena Sandford and 
lives in Britt, Iowa; and Minnie, who is the 
wife of George Groner ami lives at Boone. 

William Schram passed an uneventful 
childhood on his father's farm and during 
the winter months attended the district 
schools. On October 23, 1879, he married 
Carrie Wolf, who was born in Chicago, Illi- 
nois. March 3, 1858, of German parentage. 
After living in Chicago for six years her 
family removed to Webster county. Iowa, 
and settled near [>ayton, on the farm where 



478 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the father died in July, 1878, while the moth- 
er died August 20, 1899. They were the 
parents of the following children : Louis, a 
farmer in Butler county. Iowa ; Charley, 
who is married and living in Nebraska ; 
Henry, who married Lena Petzneck and lives 
in Oklahoma ; John, a farmer of Oklahoma ; 
and Minnie, who is the wife of Charles Bane 
and lives in Dayton, Iowa. 

Two years after his marriage Mr. 
Schram left his father's farm and settled 
upon rented land eight miles northwest of 
Dayton, where he lived for eight years. He 
then purchased one hundred and sixty acres 
of the land upon which he now resides, and 
to which he afterward added forty acres, so 
that his present farm contains two hundred 
acres of land. He is engaged in general 
farming and stock raising, and is especially 
successful in the latter occupation. Upon 
this well-improved farm the following chil- 
dren have beai born: Mary, born July 9, 
1879: Clara. May 12. 1881 ; Gust. January 
10, 1883 ; Edith. July 5. 1885 : Lena, August 
28, 1890; Edna, April 3, 1893; and Wine. 
November 25 1899. 

Mr. Schram is by no means self-centered 
in his interests, but takes an active part in 
the general upbuilding of the township. He 
is a stockholder in the Lehigh Valley Sav- 
ings Bank, and is a business man of extend- 
ed experience and unquestioned integrity. 
He is a member of the German Lutheran 
church, and a supporter of the Democratic 
party, as are also his brothers. 



E. W. SORBER. 



Among the representative business men 
of Gowrie none are more deserving of men- 
tion in this volume than the gentleman whose 
name introduces this sketch. Keen discrim- 



ination, unflagging industry and resolute 
purpose are numbered among his salient 
characteristics, and thus he has won that 
prosperity which is the merited reward of 
honest effort. 

A native of Pennsylvania, he was born 
on the Susquehanna river, in \\ 'ilkesbarre, 
Luzerne county, March 20, 1839, and is a 
son of Philip Sorber, who was born in the 
same county in 18 10. His grandfather, 
George Sorber, was also a native of the Key- 
stone state, while the great-grandfather was 
a native of Germany and one of the pioneers 
of Pennsylvania. On reaching manhood 
Philip Sorber married Aliss Rebecca Ains- 
worth, of Binghamton. Xew York. In early 
life he followed the millwright's trade, but 
after coming to Iowa, in 1840, be bought a 
tract of government land in Jackson county 
and turned his attention to farming. He 
resided there until 1865, when he removed 
to Webster county, and continued to engage 
in agricultural pursuits thn lughout his active 
business life. After the death of his wife, 
which occurred in 1872, he made his home 
with our subject, and died in Gowrie in 
1891, at the ripe old age of eighty-one 
years. 

E. W. Sorber was only six years old 
when he came with his parents to Iowa, and 
he grew to manhood on the home farm in 
Jackson county. His school privileges were 
limited and the greater part of his education 
was acquired under his mother's teachings, 
she being a well-educated lady. In i860 he 
was married in Jackson county to Miss M. 
J. Bonham. a native of Indiana, and a daugh- 
ter of David Bonham, who was also a pio- 
neer of Jackson county. 

During his youth Mr. Sorber served a 
three years and a half apprenticeship to the 
millwright's trade, which he followed until 
the Civil war broke out. Prompted by a 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



479 



spirit of patriotism, he enlisted in 1861, in 
Company I. Twelfth [owa Volunteer In- 
fantry, from which he was discharged in 
1862, and re-enlisted, this time becoming a 
member of Company F, Forty-fourth Iowa 
Volunteer Infantry, with which he remained 
until mustered out of service in October, 
1864. 

The following year Mr. Surlier came to 
Webster county and purchased a farm, and 
in connection with its operation he engaged 
in contracting and building, and was also 
employed on public works, assisting in build- 
ing the Fort Dodge school-house, which was 
later destroyed by tire. In the fall of 1873 
he took up his residence in Cowrie, and for 
some time thereafter gave his entire attention 
to his building interests, and is still engaged 
in contracting to some extent. He has erect- 
ed many business blocks and private resi- 
dences, besides the school-house here, and 
has materially assisted in the development 
and improvement of the town. In 1883 he 
embarked in the furniture and undertaking 
business, which he still carries on with good 
success. Since its organization he has been 
a stockholder of the Gowrie Savings Bank, 
which has become one of the substantial 
moneyed institutions of the county. 

Mr. Sbrber has been called upon to 
mourn the loss of bis faithful wife, who died 
in 1896, leaving three children, namely: (1) 
Florence Imogene is the wife of Frank Trip- 
lett, of Gowrie, and they have five children, 
Earl, Elsie, Clare. Frankie and Fannie. (2) 
Inez G. is the wife of \Y. E. Bomberger, a 
prominent business man and banker of Gow- 
rie, and they have one child, Ethel. (3) 
Nellie E. is at home with her father. 

Although reared a Democrat, Mr. Sor- 
ber became identified with the Republican 
party on attaining his majority, but for the 
past few years has been identified in politics 



and votes for the men whom he believes 
best qualified for office regardless of party 
lines. He has been a delegate to numerous 
conventions, and his fellow citizens, recog- 
nizing his worth and ability, called upon 
him to serve as mayor of Gowrie for several 
years. He also filled the office cf township 
clerk many years, and his official duties were 
always most capably and satisfactorily per- 
formed. He is a prominent member of the 
Grand Army Post of Gowrie, of which he is 
past commander, and in which be served as 
adjutant and a member of the relief com- 
mittee for some years. He also belongs to 
the .Masonic lodge of that place, and the Odd 
Fellows lodge and encampment of Fort 
I)' dge. The career of Mr. Sorber has ever 
been such as to warrant the trust and con- 
fidence of the business world, for be has 
ever conducted all transactions on the strict- 
est principles of honor and integrity. His 
devotion to the public good is unquestioned 
and arises from a sincere interest in the wel- 
fare of his fellow men. 



J. P. HOLMSTROM. 

J. P. Holmstrom, one of the successful 
business men of Dayton township, was born 
in Sweden September 29, 1839, and is a son 
of Johannes and Lizzie ( Neils) Johnson, 
both of whom were natives of that country. 
They married in their native land, and there 
died, having had six children, of whom our 
subject was the only one who came to this 
country. The family was as follows: Carl 
J.. Clause A.. Andrew. Anne Louisa, J. P. 
and Helen, all residing in Sweden except 
our subject. 

Our subject attended school in his native 
land until he was twelve years of age, and 
then worked upon various farms by the 



480 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



month until he came to America, in 1865, 
He sailed from Malma, Sweden, and landed 
in New York city, whence he went to Chi- 
cago. There he remained a short time, and 
then removed to Altoona, Knox county, Illi- 
nois, settling- in the township on the border 
of Henry county, where lie rented land and 
remained there Until 1870. 

On March 11, 1868, Mr. Holmstrom 
married, in Galesburg, Illinois. Anna Louise 
Lindquist, a native of Sweden, who was 
born October 21, [849, and is a daughter 
of Johannes and Catherine Johnson, both 
natives of that country. Mr. Johnson died 
in his native land, but his wife came to 
America in 1866 and settled at Andover, 
Henry county, Illinois, where she died at the 
home of our subject. Mrs. Holmstrom was 
one of eight children, all of whom came to 
America except one. They were John, who 
died in Sweden ; Mary, wife of Charles John- 
.-011. ;i farmer of Clay township. Webster 
county. Iowa; Charles, who lived for a time 
in Henry count} - , Illinois, but now resides in 
Dayton township, Webster county, Iowa; 
August, a resident of Dayton, Iowa; Johan- 
nes, who married Lotta Johnson and resides 
in Henry county, Illinois; Christina, wife of 
Charles Donnelson, of Dayton. Iowa; Caro- 
lina, wife of Lawrens Bjorkgrain, of Day- 
ton. Iowa; and Mrs. Holmstrom. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Holmstrom nine chil- 
dren have been born, namely: Peter mar- 
ried Selma Ecklind and now resides at Cur- 
lew. Palo Alto county. Iowa: Hilma died in 
1869; Malvina died in 1880: Hilma resides 
with her parents and is a school teacher in 
Clay township; Alfred assists his, father on 
the farm; Sarah. Mary, Martin and Laffler 
are all at home. 

After his marriage our subject farmed in 
Henry county, Illinois, for three years, and 
then, in 1870, removed to Webster county. 



Iowa, where he rented land for one year in 
Dayti >n township, and then purchased eighty 
acres in Lost Grove township, on section 17. 
In 1874 he sold that farm and returned to 
Dayton township, where he purchased a 
quarter section on section 17, at eleven dol- 
lars and twenty-five cents per acre. This 
land was all raw prairie land, but he im- 
proved it, erected good farm buildings and 
an excellent residence, when his neighbors 
were living in cabins. At this time Gowrie 
was not yet established, railroads had just 
come into the neighborhood, and all the trad- 
ing had to he done at Boone and Fort I lodge. 
Later he sold eighty acres of his quarter sec- 
tion and purchased eighty acres on section 
8, which was also raw r prairie land. Ener- 
getically he started in to improve it, and 
again erected good structures, a comfortable 
house and commodious barn. At present he 
owns one hundred and sixty acres of excel- 
lent farming land, all well improved, on sec- 
tion 27, Clay township, W r ebster county. He 
makes a specialty of raising stock for the 
market, and his product always meets with 
ready and profitable sale on account of their 
excellence. 

In politics Mr. Holmstrom is a Repub- 
lican, and he has served as a member of the 
school board for a great many years. In 
religious matters he is a member of the 
Swedish Evangelical Lutheran church of 
Dayton, Iowa, of which he is a trustee. 



GEORGE R. PEARSOXS. 

Great credit is due to the men of cour- 
ageous spirit, of determined purpose, of 
laudable ambition and honorable purpose 
who have the courage to face and overcome 
the difficulties and hardships of life on the 
western frontier, to- establish business en- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



481 



terprises and carry civilization into a hither- 
to wild region. There is much to contend 
with in so doing, for though nature is bounti- 
ful in her gifts they are • nl\ bestowed after 
earnest labor, and it is the man who has 
to meet the natural conditions that has the 
hardest part to perfi rm in claiming a dis- 
trict for the uses of the white race. Mr. 
Pearsons, however, came to northwestern 
Iowa when the task of development and 
progress had scarcely been begun and with 
strong resolution he entered upon the work 
of winning success here. With keen fore- 
sight he realized that the future was bright 
with promise and he was content to await 
tlie coming .if the harvest of his labors. 
Since t868 he has lived in Webster county 
and lias conducted some of the most im- 
portant real estate transfers which have led 
to the settlement and improvement of this 
portion of the state, while his identification 
with railroad building has been of the great- 
est possible benefit to the region. 

Air. Pearsons was horn in Bradford, 
Orange county, Vermont, August 7. 1830, 
and comes of a family of Scotch lineage. 
His parents were John and Hannah (Put- 
nam) Pearsons, the latter a granddaughter 
of General Putnam, the distinguished officer 
of the Revolutionary war. Both parents 
were natives of the Green Mountain state 
and at death were laid to rest in the cem- 
etery at Bradford. The father died at the 
age of fifty-seven years, but the mother 
reached the very advanced age of ninety-six. 

In the schools of his native town ( iei >rge 
R. Pearsons pursued his education and re- 
mained in Bradford until twelve years of 
age. His youth was spent upon the farm, 
and at the age of twenty-five he entered 
the service of the Vermont Central Railroad, 
in the capacity of station and fuel agent and 
train master. Thus he first became asso- 



ciated with railroad work. In 1865 he re- 
moved to Chatsworth, Livingston county, 
Illinois, where he remained for three vears- 
in the employ of the Illinois Central Rail- 
road. In 1868 he came to Fort Dodge and 
has since engaged in buying and selling laud 
with the exception of three years when he 
gave his undivided attention to the building 
of a railroad which is now" a part of the Min- 
neapolis & St. Louis Railroad system. Ik- 
was one of seven men who successfully pro- 
jected and executed the plan, his associates 
being A. McBane, William Grant, George 
Bassett, J. M. Mulroney, I. Garmoe and E. 
Prussia. The company was incorporated 
under the name of the Fort Dodge & Fort 
Ridgely Railroad Company, with W. Brown 
as the first president, while George Bassett 
later filled the office and the others were 
directors of the company. Its treasurer was 
1. Garmoe and Mr. Pearsons became super- 
intendent and had entire charge of the con- 
struction of the road, which was operated by 
the company until 1879, when it was sold 
to the Minneapolis 6c St. Louis Railroad, 
Mr. Pearsons also owned an interest in the 
Iowa Pacific grade from Fort Dodge to Bel- 
mont. Wright county, and kept the claim 
good by changing titles until the road was 
sold to the Great Northern in 1884. 

Luring most of the time Air. Pearsons 
continued his real estate business and 
through his efforts the county has been 
largely settled. In 1884 he began draining 
two great swamps containing twenty-five 
hundred acres in Humboldt county, known 
as Owl Lake — an impassable marsh. At a 
cos1 of six thousand dollars he succeeded in 
making all this tillable land, digging a ditch 
nine miles long, thirty feet wide and seven- 
teen feet deep in the largest part and sixteen 
feet wide and six feet deep in the smallest 
part. This is the largest ditch ever dug by 



482 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



an individual in Iowa. Mr. Pearsons still 
owns most of the land thus drained, con- 
stituting one i if the finest farms in the west. 
In addition to this he owns over two thou- 
sand acres in Humboldt county and has one 
fine farm adjoining Fort Dodge. While 
with the Illinois Central he sold laud to the 
value of one hundred and eighty thousand 
dollars in eight days, In [869 he drove 
from Fort Dodge to Sioux City when there 
were but four houses between the two points, 
these being at Cherokee. Twice during 
these stirring times was Mr. Pearsons lost in 
blizzards, first in 1873 when only a mile 
from his home, fie was in a snow bank for 
hours, and for two days confined in the ca- 
boose of a coal train, until help came to his 
assistance. His other experience was in 
Montana, when, together with the stage 
driver, he was lost on a high open prairie 
and had a narrow escape from death. He 
can sit for hours and with stories of frontier 
life entertain one. so vividly can he recall 
the incidents of those times. 

Since that time he has witnessed a great 
transfi >rmati< m of the c< unity, as the land has 
been claimed by enterprising farmers and 
transformed into rich farms, dotted here • 
and there with tine homes, schools and 
churches, while in their midst villages and 
towns have sprung up and extensive com- 
mercial and industrial interests have been 
introduced. From 1885 until 1888. inclu- 
sive, Mr. Pearsons held the office of Indian 
inspector, traveling from one agency to an- 
other. During that time he visited all the 
Indian reservations in the United States ex- 
cept in the Indian Territory, thus going 
among the wilder tribes. 

While still in Vermont Mr. Pearsons w as 
united in marriage to Aliss Wealthie Porter, 
a native of the Green Mountain state, who 
died in 1880. Their children were: Tolm 



Ik, who is engaged in farming near Fort 
Dodge; George A., a real estate dealer at 
Los Angeles, California; Daniel K., who is 
managing the extensive farm in Humboldt 
county; and Louisa, the wife of Hon. J. P. 
Dolliver. .Ml were horn in Vermont. In 
[882 Mr. Pearsons was again married, his 
second union being with Miss Lulu P. 
Waldron, of Fort Dodge. 

Aside from his business Air. Pearsons 
has contributed in large measure to the up- 
building and improvement of northwestern 
Iowa, and has given hearty co-operation to 
all the various movements and measures 
which have benefited Fort Dodge. In 1873 
he was elected and served as mayor of the 
city, and in 1890 and 1891 be was again 
chi 'sen ti 1 the 1 >ffice; 1 lis administration was 
practical, progressive and business-like and 
won him high commendation. For many 
terms he has served on the school board, and 
the cause of education has found in him a 
warm friend. He gave his political sup- 
port to the Republican party until 1882, 
since which time he has been independent. 
For thirty-three years he has lived in this 
city, and his life is as an open book. Those 
with whom he has so long been associated 
entertain for him the highest regard and 
respect, for he has been active and honorable 
in business, loyal in citizenship and reliable 
in all life's relations. 



LOUIS H. HEITKAMP. 

One of the prosperous and promising 
farmers of Burnside township is Louis H. 
Heitkamp, who is a native son of Iowa, born 
not far from where he now lives, April 20, 
i860. His parents, John H. and Sophia 
(Brunchier) Heitkamp, were born in Ger- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



483 



many, but married in America, and settled 
in Webster county, [owa, in 1858. They 
were successful tillers of the soil, and from 
an original purchase of eighty acres in- 
creased their possessions to three hundred 
and twenty acre-. The father died October 
7. 1895, and the mother May 21, [900, and 
both are buried in Dayton cemetery. They 
were the parents of four sons and four 
daughters: William married Louise Brun- 
chier and lives in Boone county, Iowa; 
Louis II. is the next of the family; John 
married Minnie Walters and lives in Bay- 
ard. Iowa; Henry married Anna Linder- 
man and lives in Boone county; Minnie 
is the wife of Henry Linderman and lives 
on section 28, Burnside township, Webstei 
count}-; and Lena is the wife of Louis 
Hoyer and lives at Fort Dodge, 

Mr. Heitkamp was reared on his father's 
farm and attended the public schools during 
the leisure of the winter months. He was 
married July 2j, 1881, to Sophia Mohn, 
whose parents emigrated from Germany. 
Her mother died in Iowa in 1863. The 
father eventually married Mary Fink, and is 
now living in Ray county, Missouri. Mrs. 
Heitkamp has four brothers and three sis- 
ters, namely: Mrs. Walter Vance, of Colo- 
rado: Frank, who is married and lives in 
Missouri; Fred, who is also married and 
lives in Missouri; Emma; Albert; and Ed- 
ward. Eleven children have been born to 
Mr. and Airs. Heitkamp. as follows ; Carrie, 
born May 8, 1882; Martin, October 15. 
1883; Albert, June 26, 1885: Frank, Feb- 
ruary 19, 1887: Minnie, April 8, 1889; 
Lillie, April 19, 1891 ; Tilla, February 12, 
1892; Hazel, May 9, 1895 ; Luella, February 
12, 1897: Florence, December 2j. 1898; and 
Ervin, November 9, 1900. 

Upon starting out in the world for him- 
self Mr. Heitkamp rented a farm in Burn- 



side township for eight years, and in 1889 
boughl one hundred and sixty acres of land 
upon which he now lives. At that time the 
property was raw prairie land, and a stranger 

to pl«.w or implement of any kind, \< 
day the abundant harvests reward an un- 
ceasing toil and wise management, and the 
land which was originally worth twelve dol- 
lars and ;•. half an acre is among the most 
desirable in the township. Mr. Heitkamp 
bought an additional eighty acre- in 1894 -on 
the same section, and engages in general 
farming on a large scale, and buys, feeds 
and ships st< >ck. lie is a stanch upholder of 
Republican institutions, and has held several 
fices of trust within the gift of his fellow 
townsmen. He is a man of broad and pro- 
gressive ideas, and practical plans for the 
general improvement of his section, and ex- 
erts a wide influence on the side of good 
government and high citizenship. 



A. C. DOUGLASS. 

For many years the name of Douglass 
ha- stood for prosperity and enterprise in 
Burnside township, and A. C. Douglass is a 
worthy successor to his -ire. who represented 
the highest agricultural excellence and the 
most admirable citizenship of Webster coun- 
ty. The present maintainer of family tra- 
ditions and industry was born in Noble 
county, Indiana, January 8, 1854, and re- 
ceived his education in the district schools, 
and was prepared for future activity on his 
father's well-conducted farm. He was but 
two years of age when the family fortunes 
were shifted to Iowa, and he early evinced 
traits of character which insure success 
wherever he might in the future reside. 

In 1879 Mr. Douglass departed from 
the surroundings of hi- youth and embarked 



484 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



upon the uncertain occupation of mining in 
Leadville and -different parts of Colorado, 
but at the end of eight months decided in 
favor of the slower but surer channels of 
legitimate business. He tried his hand at 
railroading near Minneapolis, Minnesota, 
for one summer, and then returned to the 
home farm, where he remained until his mar- 
riage, November 28, 1889, with Anna Ten- 
nant, who was born near Burnside July 2, 
1869. Mrs. Douglass is one in a family 
of five children, one son and four daughters, 
the others being: Maude is a teacher in the 
city schools of Jennings, Louisiana; Ger- 
trude is also engaged in educational work 
and is living at home : V. B. married Ethel 
Green and resides in Griggsville, Illinois: 
and Nora is the wife of O. J. Woodard 
and lives on section 4. Burnside township, 
this county. Five children have been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Douglass: Mabel Gertrude, 
who was born January 11, 1S91 , and died 
December 22, 1897; Vera May. born May 
28, 1893 ! Bertie Calvin, born June 26, 1895 ; 
Marion Tennant, born December 17, 1897: 
and Helen Margaret, born May 28, 1899. 
After his marriage Mr. Douglass settled 
on a farm on section 4. Burnside township, 
where he lived until the spring of 1901, 
when be removed to Ids present farm of 
three hundred anil twenty acres on sections 
4 and 5, the same township. He is engaged 
in general farming and stock raising, and 
makes a specialty of the breeding of Short- 
horn cattle and draft horses. With others 
be is part owner of the Norman stallion 
Printemps. Mr. Douglass leads a by no 
means self— centered life, but has interests 
which extend to the all-around development 
of his township, financially, educationally 
and socially, fie is a stockholder in the 
First National Bank of Lehigh and in the 
Burnside Creamery. 



A Republican in national politics, he has 
held several important offices within the gift 
of his townsmen, and for twelve years he 
has been treasurer of the school district. 
Fraternally he is associated with the Wood- 
men of the World. Mr. Douglass is a be- 
liever in the best possible educational facil- 
ities, and not only makes a continuous effort 
to improve the system of his township, but 
is giving his children every advantage with- 
in his power. He is quite a musician, and a 
member and one of the organizers of the 
Burnside Brass Band. He performs with 
skill upon the organ and violin, and has ma- 
terially promoted the musical taste of the 
community in which he dwells. In his 
younger days he took more than an ordinary- 
interest in athletic sports, having at one 
time made a record of a standing jump of 
twelve feet eight inches, and also a one-hun- 
dred yard dash in about ten seconds. Per- 
sonally Mr. Douglass is popular and well 
known, and is withal an optimistic, genial 
and thoroughly entertaining gentleman in 
e\ ery respect. 



DR. GEORGE D. HART. 

There is probably no more prominent or 
highly esteemed citizen in his section of the 
county than Dr. George D. Hart, of Otho. 
A native of Illinois, he was born in Adams 
county, July 26, 1835, and was in his nine- 
teenth year -when the family removed to 
Webster county, Iowa. A sketch of his 
father, Norman Hart, is given in connec- 
tion with that of N. H. Hart on another 
page of this volume. 

On coming to this county the Flart fam- 
ilv found this section of the state all wild 
and unimproved, and the Doctor assisted in 




DR. GEO. D. HART 




MRS. GEORGE D. HART 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



4S9 



the arduous task 1 £ converting the raw- 
prairie into well-cultivated fields, lie was 
married, November 11, 1858, to Miss Or- 
linda S. Moore, who was born in Ohio, in 
1840, a daughter of Homer and Sarah 
(Minton) Moore. She came with her par- 
ents to Iowa in 1856, and in the summer of 
the following year taught the first term of 
school in Otho township, while in the sum- 
mer of 1858 she taught the first term in 
what is now Elkhorn township. She died 
on the 28th of January, 1883, leaving two 
children: (i) Lillie H., who was horn 
Septemher 1, 1859. became the wife of 
Fred E. Payne and died on the eighteenth 
anniversary of her marriage, September 30, 
[898. She had two children, Calla H., 
horn September 6, 188 1: and George E., 
horn May id. 1S87. (2) Hoyt X.. horn 
March 26, 1867, who is now engaged in 
farming in Otho township, was married 
February 10, 1887, to Carrie M. Plummer, 
and they have one son, Harrison Dolliver, 
horn June 17. 1888. 

Dr. Hart was again married. June 11. 
1885, his second union being with Miss 
Pervilla R. Alsever, who was horn in 
Oswego county. Xew York, March 20, 
i^^J. and in 1866 came t" Webster county, 
b wa. with her parents, Abram and Ar- 
minda (Fish) Alsever. She had one 
brother and two sisters, namely: G ra 1'... 
who married George Buzzard and died at 
Spokane Palls. Washington, November 5, 
[889; Milton G., who married Edith Good- 
year and lives in Pocohontas, Iowa; and 
Blanche M., who has been a teacher in pri- 
mary schools for thirteen years, and is now- 
employed at Fort Dodge. Mrs. Hart was 
also a successful teacher in early life and 
followed that occupation for twelve years. 

Unto the Doctor and his wife was In rn 
a son, Seth Norman, his birth occurring 



August 18, [888. On the 12th of October, 
1895, they adopted an orphan girl. Albertina 
Anderson, who was horn March 29, 1880, 
and was married January 1, 1901, to Henry 
W. Wakeman, a farmer of Otho township. 
They also have an adopted son, Dwight M., 
a son of J. M. Moore, one of the early set- 
tlers of this county, having come here with 
his father, Homer Moore, in 1856. Dwight 
was born December 16, 1876, in Steele 
City. Nebraska, and was only a week old 
when his mother died. Her remains were 
brought back to Otho for interment, and 
the child was adopted by Dr. Hart and wife, 
the latter being his aunt. His father was a 
soldier of the war of the Rebellion, and now 
lives in Kalo, Iowa. At the outbreak of the 
Spanish war DAvight enlisted in May, 1898, 
in Company G of Fort Dodge, but was 
later transferred to Company B, Forty- 
ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and went to 
Cuba, where he served under General Fitz- 
hugh Lee until the close of the war. He 
is now living at Nampa, Idaho, and is fol- 
lowing the trade of mason. The Doctor 
has ever regarded him as his own son. 

When the country became involved in 
civil war Dr. Hart offered his services to 
the government to assist in putting down 
the rebellion. He enlisted Augusl i<>, [862, 
in Company I, Thirty-spcond Iowa Infantry, 
but never served in the ranks. When the 
regiment started south from Dubuque he 
was left in charge of the sick at Camp 
Franklin, and after rejoining his command 
at Xew Madrid. Missouri. December 2. fol- 
li wing, served as hospital warden during 
his entire term of enlistment at Jefferson 
I '.arracks. Missouri, where he had charge 
1 if a ward • finally dis- 

charged on account of disability. His hos- 
pital experience laid the foundation for the 
profession of medicine and on his return 



490 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In .me he pursued a course of study in the 
Homeopathic school. Since then he has en- 
gaged in practice with marked success. 
The Doctor is the owner of a fine farm of 
eighty acres in Otho township but resides 
in the village of Otho, where he has a beau- 
tiful home, ami devotes his entire time and 
attention to the practice of his profession. 
Both the Doctor and Airs. Hart are ac- 
tive members of the Congregational church, 
of which he has been a deacon since his 
father's death in 1880, having succeeded 
him to that office. His political support is 
always given the men and measures of the 
Republican party, and he voted for the three 
presidents who met death by the hands of 
the assassin. He was a charter member of 
Fort Donelson Post, G. A. R., of Fort 
Dodge, and is still closely associated with 
his army comrades. He receives and merits 
the high regard of the entire community in 
which he lives. Those who know him best 
are numbered among his wannest friends, 
and no citizen in Webster county is more 
honored or respected. 



SYLVESTER B. RICHEY. 

Prominent among the leading citizens 
and successful agriculturists of Webster 
county, Iowa, is Sylvester B. Richey, a large 
land owner and successful breeder of fine 
cattle and stock. His birth occurred in 
Wayne county, Ohio, June 22, 1848, his par- 
ents being Gasper T. and .Martha (Rich- 
ards) Richey, both of whom were natives of 
Pennsvlvania. although their marriage was 
celebrated in Ohio, where they resided for a 
number of years. There Gasper T. Richey 
owned a tract of farming land and a water- 
power grist and sawmill. In the fall of 1854 
he removed his family to Webster county. 



Iowa, settling in Dayton township, where 
he entered fine three-quarter sections and 
eighty acres. This was all raw prairie land 
at that time, but his industry and ability 
brought it to a fine state of cultivation and 
productiveness. The first pioneer home was 
of hewed logs, twenty by twenty-eight feet 
in dimensions, two stories in height, and so 
soundly was it constructed that it remains of 
use to-day, on section 28, Dayton town- 
ship. For a number of years Mr. Richey 
was county supervisor, and also served as 
justice of the peace and a member of the 
school board. His political faith was in the 
Democratic party, and he was long a lead- 
ing member of the Methodist church. Mrs. 
Richey died November 18. 1892, and his 
death occurred in April, 1882. 

Their children numbered twelve, seven 
of whom still survive, these being: Marga- 
ret, who is the wife of Cyrus Burnett, of 
Dayton; Mary, who married J. R. Lyons 
and lives in Fort Dodge, Iowa; Priscilla. 
who married L. Emerson; Etta, who mar- 
ried Abraham Daughenbaugh. of Gowrie, 
Iowa: Gasper A., who married Hattie Ly- 
ons and resides in 1 >ayti m ; James, who mar- 
ried Louisa Baker and resides in Pilot 
Mound. Iowa: and Sylvester B.. of this 
sketch. 

Our subject's early educational advan- 
tages were afforded in the Richey district 
school, in Dayton township, his attendance 
being during the winters, while his summers 
were occupied with duties on the farm. On 
March 27, 1870, he was united in marriage 
to Miss Angeline Mahan, who was born in 
Hardin county, Ohio, September 25, 1848. 
She is a daughter of Edward K. and Hul- 
dah (Monro Mahan, the former of whom 
was a native of Ross county, Ohio, and the 
latter of Pennsylvania. They were married 
in Hardin county, Ohio, and lived there until 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



491 



in the spring- of 1855. At that time Mr. 
Mahan removed his family to Keokuk, Iowa, 
where they remained (hiring the summer, in 
the fall locating on a river claim in Yell 
township, Webster county. He then went 
back to Ohio, where he remained for five 
years, and then returned to WebsteT county, 
Iowa. In 1871 Mr. Mahan went to Kansas. 
and there took up a homestead claim and im- 
proved it. remaining there until his death. 
February 5. 1893. His wife died on Febru- 
ary 13. 1893. only eight days intervening". 
Mrs. Richey was the eldest in a family of 
.nine children, the other members being: 
George, who married Jane Aver and lives in 
Kansas: Samantha. who died at the age of 
fifteen : Hannah, who is the wife of Louis 
Barrett, of Basin, Big Horn county, Wyo- 
ming; Mathew, who married Eliza Scott, 
and resides in Oklahoma; John, who is mar- 
ried and resides in Republic county, Kansas ; 
Van. who is married and resides in Okla- 
homa: Allison, who is married and resides 
in Kansas; and Sally, who is the wife of 
Xoel Cooper, of Rqxiblic county, Kansas. 

The children burn to Mr. and Mrs. Rich- 
ey are: George B.. born June 14. 1871. 
married Tina Eslic and resides on a farm in 
Yell township, this county, their four chil- 
dren being Lloyd. Lizzie, Lester and I'.essie. 
Harry F.. born October 29. 1875, Roy ('■.. 
born February 22, 1879, James E.. born 
July 23. 1885. and Shelby S.. born October 
26, 1887. are all at home. 

In the spring of 1875 Mr. Richey of this 
sketch moved to Yell township, where, the 
fall previous, he had bought a quarter section 



of land on section 



This was only par- 



tially improved, but in 1886. our subject 
erected a most comfortable and attractive 
country house, and has commodious barns, 
grain and cattle sheds and every appurte- 
nance for successful modern farming, for he 



is one of the progressive agriculturists who 
regard farming not only as an occupation 
but a great business requiring study and 
close attention. Mr. Richey is one of the 
large land owners in this county, having four 
hundred acres in Veil township, two 
hundred acres on sections 27 and 28, Dayton 
township, while his wife is the fortunate 
holder of some six acres of valuable resi- 
dence property in Dayton. He has given 
special attention to the raising of thorough- 
bred red polled cattle and Poland China 
hogs, which require the greater part of his 
yield of corn. 

Mr. Richey has taken a deep interest in 
public and educational affairs, and has served 
as supervisor and a member of the school 
board. In politics he has been a life-long 
Democrat. Mrs. Richey, the estimable wife 
of our subject, is a descendant in the mater- 
nal line from loyal sol, Hers in the war of 
1812, one uncle having given seven vears to 
his country's service during the Indian trou- 
bles, and of him it is recorded that he was 
pursued seven times in one day by the sav- 
ages. Both Mr. and Mrs. Richey are worthy 
and consistent members of the Methodist 
church, and are most highly esteemed 
throughout the township for their hospitality 
anil many excellent traits of character. 



TAMES SAYLES. 



Among the energetic and enterprising 
farmers of Webster count) who have met 
with success in their chosen calling is the 
gentleman whose name introduces this 
sketch. He is now the owner of a good 
farm of one hundred acres pleasantly lo- 
c.ted on section 35, Roland township, with- 
it' two miles and a half of the village of 
( ; i i\vrie. 



492 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



His early home was on the other side 
oi" the Atlantic, for he was born on the Isle 
01 Man, January 17, 1847, ,ns parents being- 
Robert and Catherine (^ Moore) Sayles, who 
were life-long residents of that country. 
His paternal grandfather, however, was a 
native of Scotland, and a weaver by trade. 
His last days were spent on the Isle of Man. 
Thomas Moore, the maternal grandfather 
of our subject, was born there, and, being 
a sailor, lost his life at sea. Robert Sayles, 
who was a farmer by occupation, died on 
the Isle of Man in 1867, and his wife passed 
away six years later. In their family were 
eight children who reached years of ma- 
turity, and seven of the number still sur- 
vive. 

In the land of his birth James Sayles 
passed ids boyhood and youth upon a farm, 
and received a limited education, which has 
been greatly supplemented by reading in 
later years. In 1865, at the age of eighteen 
years, he came to the United States, arriving 
in New York on the night President Lin- 
coln was assassinated — April 14. He pro- 
ceeded at once to Brimfield, Peoria county, 
Illinois, where he had a sister living, and 
there worked on a farm by the month for 
several years. 

Later Mr. Sayles went to Grundy coun- 
ty, Illinois, and while there he was married, 
November 26, 1868, to Miss Georgia Anna 
S\ nits, a native of Somersetshire, England, 
and a daughter of James Symes, who 
brought his family to America and settled 
in Grundy county at an early day. There 
Mrs. Sayles was principally reared. Our 
subject and his wife have eight children, 
namely: Cora M.. at home; Belle, wife of 
William Crouch, of Somers, Iowa; William, 
who is assisting his father in the operation 
of the farm; Agnes, w^ife of Ed Larson, of 
Lohrville, Iowa; Florence, a teacher in, the 



Webster county schools ; and May, Lucile 
and Georgia, all at home. 

After his marriage Mr. Sayles engaged 
in farming on rented land in Grundy county, 
Illinois, until 1877, when he came to- Web- 
ster county, Iowa, and spent one year in 
Cowrie. In the fall of 1877 he purchased 
sixty acres of land in Roland township, on 
which he located the following spring. He 
lias since built an addition to the house 
standing thereon, and has made many use- 
ful and valued improvements which add 
greatly to the beauty of the place. He has 
ai^o bought more land and now has one 
hundred acres, which is under cultivation, 
and yields to the owner bountiful harvests in 
return for the care and labor bestowed upon 
it. Mr. Sayles raises a good grade of stock, 
^and usually fattens a carload oi steers for 
the city market annually. 

In politics Mr. Sayles is independent, 
his first presidential vote being cast for 
General U. S. Grant, the Republican candi- 
date. He takes great interest in educational 
affairs and has given his children the best 
possible advantages along that line, and 
three of his daughters became successful 
teachers. He was reared in the Episcopal 
faith, to which he still adheres, although 
not a member of any church organization. 
Fraternally he is a prominent member of 
Gowrie Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of which 
he is now senior warden ; and also belongs 
to Gowrie Lodge, I. O. O. F., having been 
initiated into the mysteries of that order 
while a resident of Illinois. 



ABNER E. PALMER/ 

The name Palmer, it is supposed, had its 
origin in the old days of chivalry, during 
epoch of the crusades. It was the custom 
of the mailed knights who went upon these 




A. E. PALMER 




MRS. A. E. PALMER 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



497 



pilgrimages to bring back from the Holy 
Land branches of palms, signalling the ac- 
complishment of their mission, and they 
were called pam bearers. It is easily under- 
stood how successive changes werejjrought 
about in the name which ther were called 
until, shorn of the ideally poetic and fanci- 
ful, the tin :dern form of 1 'aimer lias been 
evolved. These richly-adorned searchers 
for the Holy Grail were held in veneration 
■1>v their descendants, many of win an par- 
ticipated with creditable distinction in the 
events which led up to English supremacy. 
Such is the remote history of the family. 
Later records tell of the founding of the 
family in America. The Mayflower, which 
bn ught the pilgrims to the shore of Xew 
England in nun, was followed the suc- 
ceeding year by the ship Fortune, which 
also brought an heroic hand of men to aid 
in laying the foundations of this republic. 
Among the passengers of this second craft 
was William Palmer, who settled in Salem, 
Massachusetts, in 1621, and in 1629 his 
brother, Walter, crossed the seas from 
England with John Endicott, who had 
charge of six vessels of freedmen. From 
the family of Walter rainier, which con- 
sisted of twelve children, has sprung six 
thousand Palmers, the record of whose 
lives is in possession of Mrs. A. E. Palmer. 
Walter Palmer, who married and settled in 
Stonington, Connecticut, was the direct an- 
cestor of our subject. 

Abijah Palmer, the grandfather of A. 
E., was born in Fairfield county, Connecti- 
cut, in 1750, and in 1801 married Clarinda 
Runnels, with whom he went to Ohio in 
1811, and located land in Fitchville. Huron 
county. His property had a two-fold 
value, for the broad expanse of six hun- 
dred acres represented what was known as 
the Fireland grant, and took the place of 



property destroyed during the war 1 f 1812, 
and was presented to him by the govern- 
ment. In this same war Abijah Palmer 
served with courage and distinction. He 
had eleven children, and of these, Hiram 
Palmer, the father of A. E., was born in 
Fitchville, Ohio, in 1823. Hiram Palmer 
married, July 21, 1X50, with Maria Briggs, 
a native of Coshocton, Steuben county, 
Xew York, born \ugust _>j, [830. The 
marriage ceremony was performed by 
Esquire Pray, and the young couple settled 
on a farm in Fitchville township, where 
their serenity was somewhat disturbed by 
the agitation which shook the country over 
the slavery question. Mr. Palmer came 
out strong for the anti-slavery cause, and 
was active in promoting the liberty of run- 
away slaves. Palmer Station, named after 
him, was located near the mouth of the 
Black river, and this pi int was where 
the salves escaped by In at which con- 
veyed them to safety in Canada. Air. 
1 'aimer voted for James G. Birnev for 
president, and in 1X48 for the Free Soil 
candidate, and in 1856 allied his fortunes 
with the Repubican party. After that he 
voted for every Republican president, from 
John C. Fremont to William McKinley. 
He is now living in Clarksiicld, Ohio, where 
his character and attainments are appre- 
ciated by those who have known him dur- 
ing his useful and worthy life. He is a 
member of the Congregational church, and 
a supporter of all worthy enterprises for the 
good of his neighborhood. 

The following children were born to 
Hiram Palmer and his wife: Allen, horn 
May 28, 1851, married Henrietta Baker, 
and lives in Fairfield township, Huron 
county. Ohio; Aimer I 7 ,, is the next in or- 
der of birth; Charles I\. born April f>, 
1X5(1. lives in Clark-Yield, Ohio; Lenora., 



498 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



bom April 20, i860, died February 2, 1898, 
leaving her husband, Casius Draper, and a 
son, Morris, who lives in Collinwood, < >hio; 
Carrie, born October 21, 1861, married 
George Ronk, of Brighton, Ohio, and has 
one son, Carl, and an adopted son, Paul ; 
Tama Luella, born June 18, 1863, died 
when a year and a half old; Ellsworth, born 
January 4. 1865, lives in Clarksfield, Ohio; 
and DeAlton E., horn November 20, 1869, 
died August 1 1, 1891. 

Abner E. Palmer, second oldest of the 
grandchildren of Abijah Palmer, was born 
in Huron county, Ohio. August I, [853, 
and received his education in the public 
schools of Fitchville. When eighteen years 
old he started out to make an independent 
living, and worked by the month until he 
was twenty-six years old, his wages in- 
creasing from seven dollars to twenty- 
three dollars per month. On October 
1. [879, lie was married at Fitchville, 
by F. P. Hall, to Gertie A. Barnes, 
who wa^ born July 1, i860, in Evans- 
ton, Iowa a daughter of Samuel King 
and Eliza (Jane) Johnson Barnes, the 
former of whom was born in Jefferson 
count}-. New York, October 6, 1823, and 
the latter in Gorham, Ontario county. Xew 
York. April 8, 1827. ' The Barnes family 
is of English ancestry, and one Joseph 
Barnes was born in Connecticut in 1736. 
He served in the old French and Indian 
war, which ended in the capture of Quebec, 
and the death of Wolfe. He was the fa- 
ther of Hartwell Barnes, who was a native 
of Connecticut, born in 1758. and served 
for six years, six months and thirteen days 
in the war of the Revolution. His wife was 
formerly Hannah Clark, who was horn in 
Connecticut, and was a niece of Oliver 
Wolcott, one of the signers of the the 



Declaration of Independence. There were 
eleven ichjildren born of th|is union, and 
one of these was Samuel Clark Barnes, the 
grandfather »f Mrs. Palmer. He was born 
in Wetbersheld. Connecticut, April 5, 1796, 
and was married December 16. 181 7. in 
New York, to Miranda Nichols, who was 
born in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, 
December 16, 1799. Mr. Barnes died in 
Wblccttville, Indiana, May 4, 1874. and 
his wife passed awav January 7, 1852, in 
the >ame town. Their children were borr 
in Xew York, with the exception of the 
three youngest, who were born in Indiana. 
Samuel King Barnes was married Oc- 
tober 1. [848, at Fitchville. Ohio, by F. P. 
Hall, and settled in La Grange county. In- 
diana, where he engaged in farming. In 
December. 1853, ' ie journeyed to Webster 
county. Iowa. The following June after a 
seven weeks' journey with ox teams he ar- 
rived with his family at the new home. 
While erecting a log cabin he lived m 
a tent, and his first ground breaking was 
where the church at Evanstbn, Iowa, now 
stands. In the fall of 1864 he returned to 
Huron count)-. Ohio, and in the fall of 1867 
he bought a farm in Fitchville township, 
upon which he lived until his death, which 
occurred at the residence of his son-in-law, 
A. E. Palmer, October 20, 1891. He held 
several township offices in Webster coun- 
tv. and was a stanch Republican, and a de- 
voted member of the Baptist church. His 
wife, who died March 13. 1897. was the 
mother of four children, of whom Mrs. 
Palmer is the youngest. Of the other chil- 
dren, William, born June 26, 1849, died 
August 2, 185 1. Laura, born September 
21, 1852. married by Rev. F. P. Hall to 
J. C. Evans, September 20. 1877, and re- 
moved the same day to Evanston, Iowa. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



499 



She was the mother of three children: 
Pearl, who was born July 22, 1878, and 
died in infancy; Edith, born Septembei [6, 
1880; and Edna E., hum September 12, 
1882. Airs. Evans died in [884, and March 
8, [885, her sister. Mary E., who was born 
October 5. 1854. and was the first white 
female child hum in Webster county, was 
united in marriage with Air. Evans by the 
same past, r who had performed the pre- 
vious ceremony. Of this union there is one 
daughter, Lottie, born September 22, (888. 
To Mr. and Airs. Palmer have been born 
four children: King J!., who was born 
June 18, 1880. and died September 14, 
[88l ; Alahle F., born May 29, 1881 : Jes- 
se \\\, born September 30, [883; and 
Chester R., born April 29, 1885. 

After his marriage Mr. 1 'aimer moved 
to Hartland, Ohio, and engaged in farm- 
ing for three years, and at the expiration 
of that time settled in Fitchville township, 
Huron county, where he remained for six 
years. In A larch. 1889. he became 
identified with Webster county, Iowa, and 
as a beginning bought forty acres of land 
in Washington township at twenty-six dol- 
lars per acre. The following June he pur- 
chased eighty acres at thirteen and one-half 
dolars an acre, and the next September 
bought another eighty acres for seventen 
and one-half dollars an acre. He is at 
present the owner of two hundred acres of 
land in Washington township, and has an 
excellent home, commi dious barns and out- 
buildings, well built granaries and fences, 
and all modern agricultural implements, 
and general improvements. He is a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, and 
is a stanch upholder of Republican issues. 
Air. Palmer maintains the traditions and 
excellencies of his capable ancestors, and in 
his own personality unites those admirable 



characteristics which are everywhere re- 
garded as the fundamentals i f desirable 
citizenship. 

— ♦—♦ — 

ANTON BYER. 

Anton Byer, one of the most intelligent 

and enterprising agriculturists of Gowrie 
township, is the owner of a well improved 
and valuable farm of four hundred and 
fort) acres on sections ,- and 8, and his 
management of the place is marked by the 
scientific knowledge and skill which char- 
acterize the modern farmer. 

Air. Byer was horn on the 30th of Oc- 
toher, 1856, in Denmark, where his parents, 
Nicholas and Christina (Hanson) K\er, 
siient their entire lives as farming people. 
In their family were the following children : 
Peter came to the new world about [864, 
and first located in Illinois, hut is now liv- 
ing in California, where he is engaged in 
fruit culture. John crossed the Atlantic in 
[868 and also settled in Illinois. In 1XS1 
he came to Webster county. Iowa, hut is now 
a resilient of Calhoun county, this state. 
James and Louis came to America in (871 
and settled in Illinois, hut are now living in 
California, where they are engaged in mer- 
chandising. Anton is the youngest son. 
Lena married James Behimer and lived for 
a time in Illinois, hut her last days were 
spent in Crawford county. Missouri, where 
she died 111 [893. Katherina died in I 
mark at the age of twelve years. 

In the land of his birth Anton Byer spent 
the first sixteen years ,,f lus life, and his 
earl_\- education was in his natne tongue. \n 
1872 lie emigrated to the United States and 
located in Grundy county, Illinois, where lie 
worked on a farm for one man seven years, 
in the meantime attending the public schools 



500 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



to some extent. He also spent nearly two 
years at the college in Valparaiso, Indiana, 
and later was a student at the .college in Mor- 
ris, Illinois. His education completed, Mr. 
Byer successfully engaged in teaching both 
in Illinois and Iowa, being thus employed for 
seven winters after coming to Webster coun- 
ty in October, 1881. His first purchase of 
land consisted of one hundred and twenty 
acres but slightly improved, only forty acres 
being broken. For four or five vears he and 
his brother engaged in farming together. 

Returning to Illinois, Mr. Byer was mar- 
ried at Ottawa, La Salle county. February 
23, 1886, to Ali-- Alma Eddy, who was 
born, reared and educated in Kendall coun- 
ty, that state, and engaged in teaching school 
prior to her marriage. Her father, Thomas 
F. Eddy, was born in Massachusetts and 
there grew to manhood. I le was one of the 
pioneers of Grundy county, Illinois, where 
lie made his home until after the death of 
his wife, and then came to live with his 
daughter, Mrs. Byer, in Webster county, 
Iowa, where he passed away March 17, 1895. 
He had but two children, his son being El- 
mer Eddy, now - a resident of Denver, Colo- 
rado. Mr. and Airs. Byer have two daugh- 
ters. Mabel ami Bertha, who are both at- 
tending the home school. 

After his marriage our subject brought 
bis bride to the home he had prepared for 
her in Webster county, Iowa, and has since 
engaged in farming with marked success, 
having accumulated some valuable property. 
His farm to-day is under a high state of 
cultivation and well improved with good 
and substantial buildings, which stand as 
monuments to his thrift and enterprise. In 
connection with general farming he carries 
on stock raising quite successfully, and 
usually fattens from two to four carloads of 
stock for market annually. In all his un- 



dertakings he has met with the success that 
usually follows the industrious and profes- 
sive man. On coming to the new world he 
was without capital, but he has steadily 
worked his way upward to prosperity until 
to-day he is one of the well-to-do and sub- 
stantial citizens of his community. 

Since casting his first presidential ballot 
for James A. Garfield in 1880 Mr. Byer has 
supported every presidential nominee of the 
Republican party, and has been a delegate 
to several c< unity conventions. He has 
served eight years as assessor of Gowrie 
township, which office he is filling at the 
present time, and was also treasurer of the 
scln 10I district for twenty years. Air. Byer 
is one of the directors and stockholders of 
the Gowrie Savings Bank of Gowrie. Al- 
though not members of any religious organ- 
ization he and his wife attend the Methodist 
Episcopal and Congregational churches, and 
are highly respected and esteemed by all who 
km iw them. 



AIRS. HATTIE DANIELSON. 

Airs. Hattie Danielson, widow of the late 
August A. Danielson, has been a resident of 
Webster count)- since i860, and is therefore 
numbered among its pioneers. She was 
born in Sweden, November 22, 1844, arK ' 
was a maiden of sixteen summers when she 
came to the new world with her parents, G. 
F. and Lottie (Vegrin) Lyon. The voyage. 
which was a pleasant one. was made on the 
Kentucky, a sailing vessel commanded by 
Captain Narraman, and lasted six weeks and 
three days. On landing in Boston the fam- 
ily came direct to Webster county, Iowa, and 
the father took up a government claim in 
Dayton township, consisting of one hundred 
and sixty acres of wild prairie land. Here 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



503 



the mother died September 12, 1872, and was 

laid to rest in Linn cemetery. Boone county, 
Iowa. In 1879 the father married Anna 
Gustafson, also a native of Sweden, and by 
his second union had two sons, Fred and 
Edwin, who still reside on the old hi imestead 
farm. There were thirteen children by the 
first marriage, but only four are now living, 
namely: Hattie, our subject ; Anna, wife of 
J. P. Danielson of Gowrie; Charles J., who 
married Louise Johnson and lives in Curlew. 
Iowa; and August, who married Freda 
Schwartz and resides in Tekamah. Nebraska. 
The father of these children died September 
j j. [898. 

Mrs. Danielson of this review attended 
both Swedish and English schools and is a 
well-educated lady. She was first married 
November 5, 1865, in Dayton township, this 
county, to J. A. Ritchie, who was born in 
Ohio, June 9, 184^. and died March n, 
1873. His father, G. T. Ritchie, was a na- 
tive of Pennsylvania, and died in Dayton 
township in 1882. The other children of 
his family were Margaret, who married Cy- 
rus Burnett and lives in Dayton ; Mary, wife 
of Reece Lyon, of Fort Dodge; Priscilla, 
who married Levi Emerson and both died in 
.Stratford. Iowa; Henrietta, wife of Abe 
Daughnbaugh, of Des Moines; James, who 
married Louisa Baker and makes his home 
at Pilot Mound. Boone count}-. Iowa: and 
Sylvester, who is married and resides in Yell 
township, this county. 

On the 24th of June. 1878, our subject 
was again married, her second union being 
with August A. Danielson, of Dayton, who 
was born in Andover, Illinois. June 19. 1832. 
His parents. Jonas and Christine Danielson, 
were natives of Sweden, and on coming to 
America settled in Andover, Illinois. In the 
spring of 1 870 they removed to Webster 



county, Iowa, and located in Lost Gro 1 
township, where the father died in 1872. 
The following year the mother married 
Audel Strand and now lives in Dayton. Bv 
her first union she had six children: C. « '>.. 
who married Christine Lindquist, of An- 
dover, Illinois, and resides in Dayton. Iowa: 
Jonas, who married Anna Lyon and makes 
his home in Gowrie; Gust, who wedded 
Alary Peterson and lives in Wheeler county, 
Nebraska; August A.: Joseph, who married 
Carrie Peterson and resides in Idaho Falls, 
Idaho; and Emma, wife of Charles Swan- 
son, of Dayton. 

The children horn to Mrs. Danielson by 
her first marriage were as follows: 1 1 1 
Edward F.. a general merchant of Si mers, 
Lowa, married Anna McQure and has two 
children living and two deceased. ( 2 ) Levi 
G., a farmer of Dell Rapids. South Dakota, 
married Cora Carr, and has two children 
living and one deceased. (3) Charles V. 
also a farmer of Dell Rapids, married Susie 
Howard and has two children. {4) Mary 
A. is the wife of L. A. Sandquist, of 1 )ayti >n. 
and has four children. (5) Mattie Jane, 
horn March 2- . 1873, was married Novem- 
ber 11, 1891, to Frank W. Johnson, of Day- 
ton, who died September 17. 1895, and was 
buried in Dayton. She has two children: 
I lazel, bi irn July 1 2, 1892 ; and Harold, In >rn 
July 23, [894. Airs. Danielson has four 
children by her second union: Elmer, Lin- 
da. Mabel and Maude. 

ATr. Danielson was engaged in the livery 
business in Dayton up to the time of his 
death, which occurred August 28, 1892, and 
his remains were interred in Dayton 
tery. lie was a stanch supporter of the 
Republican party and its principles, and was 
;. faithful and consistent member of the Swe- 
dish Lutheran church, to which his family 



5°4 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



also belong. They are people of prominence 

in the community where they reside, and are 

held in the highest regard by all who know 

them. 

■» « » 

H. F. AXDERSOX. 

The sterling traits inherited from in- 
dustrious Norwegian ancestors have aided 
Mr. Anderson in his efforts to bring under 
the highest cultivation the tract of land 
which he owns in Washington township, 
Webster county. His parents, Xels and 
Margaret (Thompson) Anderson, were 
born, reared and married in Norway. With 
a hope of finding greater opportunities in 
America than in their native land they de- 
cided to cross the ocean, and in 1857 em- 
barked on a sailing vessel, which for nine 
weeks was tossed to and fro in perilous 
storms and heavy seas. After landing in 
Quebec, Canada, the)' proceeded to Illinois 
and settled in LaSalle county, where the fa- 
ther followed the stonemason's trade at Ot- 
tawa. In 1864 he removed his family to 
Story county. Iowa, where he continued 
work at his trade. From there he came to 
Webster county about 1869 and at first set- 
tled on river land, but soon moved to Wash- 
ington township and bought a tract of one 
hundred and sixty acres. His last years 
were spent in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 
and it was there that lbs death occurred Sep- 
tember 14. 190 1. In Norway he had been 
reared in the Lutheran faith and he contin- 
ued an adherent of that church after coming 
to America. In political views he was a Re- 
publican. Since his death his wife has con- 
tinued to make her home in Sioux Falls. 
They were the parents of five children, name- 
ly : Carrie, wife of Ole Tjneragl and a 
resident of Hamilton county, Iowa; Martha, 



who after the death of her first husband, 
Louis Anderson, became the wife of Ole 
Peterson, and settled in Sioux Falls, South 
Dakota, where he died January 23, 1897; 
Andrew, of Sioux Falls, who first married 
Mattie Hovia and after her death was united 
in marriage with Bertha Oleson; H. F., the 
subject of this article; and Julia, wife of 
John Ostlund, of Sioux Falls, South Da- 
kota. 

While his parents were living in La 
Salle county, Mini is. H. F. Anderson was 
born September 9. 1861. He was reared 
principally in Washington township, Webs- 
ter county, Iowa, where he still resides, and 
received his education in the schools here. 
F ; < r si mie years he assisted in the cultivation 
of the home farm, and then purchased the 
property, which comprised one hundred and 
twenty acres on section 12. The farm has 
excellent improvements, including an at- 
tractive residence and commodious barns. 
A specialty is made of stock raising, which 
branch of agriculture Mr. Anderson has 
found to lie profitable. Like his father, he 
is a Republican in. politics and a Lutheran 
in religious connections. 

The marriage of Mr. Anderson took 
place in Newark township. Webster coun- 
ty, December 10, 1888, and united him with 
Juruale Serena Munson, who was horn in 
Benton county Iowa, June 18, 1869. They 
are tiie parents of the following named chil- 
dren : Nora M., horn December 16. 1889; 
Mabel M.. April. 28, 1890; Henry S., Oc- 
tober 25, -1892; Josie I., January 29, 1894; 
Alfred L., December 8, 1896; Martin E., 
February 9. 1898; and Elma M., July 21, 
1 901. The father of Mrs. Anderson, Munse 
Munson, was born and reared in Norway, 
and there married Martha Hanson. Ac- 
companied by his wife he came to America 
in 1868, spending seven weeks in a sailing 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



505 



vessel on the ocean. After landing in New 
York they proceeded to Benton county, 
Iowa, where lie secured w rk at fifty cents 
a day. Later he bought a farm of eighty 
acres, on which he lived until his removal 
to Webster county in 1874. He took up a 
homestead claim in Colfax township and for 
ten years devoted himself to the improving 
of a farm. From there he moved to Newark 
township and settled on a farm of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres which he had recently 
purchased. During 1890 he returned to 
Norway to visit his relatives and old asso- 
ciates, and while there was taken ill and 
died. His body was interred amid the scenes 
familiar to him in his boyhood. His wife 
is still living in Newark township. Both 
were reared in the Lutheran faith and con- 
tinued loyal to that religion through lite. 
The children comprising their family were 
named as follows: John, who died at twen- 
t\ years; Sarah, Mrs. Anderson; Isabella, 
wife of Lars Larson, of Clear Lake, Iowa; 
Mun.se, who died in early manhood; Mary, 
who married Osman Peterson, and reside in 
Hamilton county, Iowa; Alice, Mrs. Holver 
Peterson, who resides mi the home farm; 
Hans, who died at three years of age; 
Emma and Munse, who died in infancy. 



BENJAMIN JONES. 

After years of active Labor Benjamin 
Jones is now living a retired life in Fort 
Dodge, Iowa, enjoying a well-earned rest, 
surrounded by all the comforts and many of 
the luxuries of life. He was born in Aber- 
garenny, Monmouthshire, South Wales, No- 
vember 10, 1837. a son of Benjamin and 
Maria (Richards) Jones, both of whom 
were also natives of that country. In [855 



the father emigrated to America and located 
in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, where 
he followed his trade, that of a mason, for 
one year. In 1856 he was joined by his 
family in Tamaqua, that count), and in 
1857 removed to Iowa county, Wisconsin, 
where the following nine years were passed. 
He then took up his residence in Platteville. 
Grant county, Wisconsin, where he made 
his In me for four years, and in 1870 came 
t 1 Fort Dodge, Iowa. He continued to 
work at the mason's trade until a few years 
prior to his death, which occurred in 1890, 
when he was eighty-three years of age. His 
wife died in 1880, at the age of seventy- 
seven years. In the family of this worthy 
couple were three children, one son and two 
daughters. 

Mr. Jones, of this review, was reared 
and educated in his native land and there 
learned the shoemaker's trade, which he 
followed after the removal of the family 
from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, in connec- 
tion with harness making at Dodgeville, 
Iowa county. During the resilience of the 
family in Platteville, Wisconsin, from 1806 
to 1870, he was engaged in the meat busi- 
ness at that place, and continued to follow 
that pursuit after coming to Fort Dodge un- 
til [882. He also dealt extensively in live 
stock during the entire time he was in the 
meat business and continued in that line of 
business two years after he disposed of his 
meat market, hut is now resting from his 
labors, having laid aside all business cares. 
He has acquired considerable real estate, in- 
cluding property in Fort Hodge; one farm 
in I alhoun o unty, Iowa, and three in Web- 
ster ci iunty. 

At Mineral Point. Iowa county, Wis- 
consin, Mr. Jones was married in [869 to 
Mis. Mary E. Martin, and to them were 
born seven children, as follows; Francis; 



506 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Leah M.; Benjamin. Jr.: label M. ; who 
died November 15. i8c;_\ aged fifteen years; 
Octavia; William H. and Anna. Those liv- 
ing are all residents of Fort Dodge. The 
family holds membership in the Episcopal 
church, and Mr. Jones is also a member of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
His success in life has been the result of 
honest, persistent effort in the line of hon- 
orable ind manly dealing, and through his 
own unaided efforts he has acquired a com- 
fortable competence. He has also gained 
the confidence and high regard of all with 
with whom he has been brought in contact 
either in business or social life. 



WILLIAM H. DUTCHER. 

Among the representative men of Yell 
township, Webster county. Iowa, is William 
H. Dutcher. who was bom July 9, 1842, in 
Ross county, Ohio, a son of Charles and 
Nancy ( Ratliff) Dutcher. both natives of 
Ohio, where they were married and where 
they remained for twelve years thereafter, 
living upon a farm. They then removed to 
Moniteau county, Missouri, where the father 
purchased six hundred acres of raw prairie 
land. This he broke with ox teams and 
spent bis life in cultivating the property, liv- 
ing there until his death, which occurred in 
1885. The death of his wife took place in 
1870. In politics he was a Republican. 
Seven children were born to them, namely : 
Reuben married Lucy Harriman and resides 
in Stewart, Idaho; John, deceased, married 
Camelia Dunham, who now resides north of 
Homer, Iowa; David, deceased, married Ab- 
bie Burnett, who lives in Oregon; William 
H., our subject, is the next of the family ; 
Teramiah married Margarette Jessup and re- 



sided in Webster county, Iowa, until their 
deaths ; Charles married Eliza Jane Steeley 
and makes bis home in Moniteau county, 
Missouri ; and Robert died at the age of 
three years. The Dutcher family is of Eng- 
lish extraction and its founder in this coun- 
try settled in New York. Various mem- 
bers of it became prominent, the grandfather 
of our subject being a well-known Methodist 
minister. 

William H. Dutcher attended school at 
the Pilot Grove church school in Moniteau 
county, Missouri; at Hopewell, Missouri; 
and also at Sand Hill in the same vicinity. 
At the age of seventeen he left schc* >\ and 
as bis opportunities in that direction were 
poor his education was necessarilv limited. 
The schools were conducted on the subscrip- 
tion plan and held only in winter, the pupils 
working on the various farms in summer. 
He remained at home until he was twenty- 
one, assisting his father upon the farm. 

On June 15, 1862, Mr. Dutcher enlisted 
in Company B, Forty-third Missouri State 
Guards, encamped at the state capital. He 
did guard and scout duty and remained in 
the service until December, 1804, when the 
regiment was disbanded. In the spring of 
1805 be came to Iowa and located in \\ ebs- 
ter township, Webster county, where he 
worked at the trade of carpenter and farmed 
a little. Marrying that year, be removed to 
Homer, where he engaged in carpenter w< >rk 
remaining in that locality three years. He 
then came to Yell township and purchased 
eighty acres on section 22. which was only 
partially cultivated, and he has since added 
to his property until he now owns two hun- 
dred and fifty-eight acres, the greater part of 
which he has turned over to his sons, as be 
is now living a retired life. When he was 
actively engaged in farming lie raised a 
great deal of stock for the market, making 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



507 



a specialty of hogs, and also raised suf- 
ficient grain to feed his stock. 

On December u. [865, Mr. Dutcherwas 
married, at Webster City, Iowa, to Sarah 
W. Pierce, who was born in Missouri Jan- 
uary 1, 1X41 1, a daughter of William and 
Permelia ( Eslick Alcorn) Pierce, natives of 
Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively. Mr. 
and Mrs. Pierce were married in Missouri 
and lived there until 1851, the father being 
engaged in farming. In 1851 the family 
removed to Iowa, settling in Webster town- 
ship, Webster county, where Mr. Pierce pur- 
chased seven hundred acres of wild land. 
There was a log cabin on this land, into 
which he moved his family. He was a most 
successful man, possessed great intellect and 
was the first judge of Webster county. In 
politics he was a Democrat and always took 
a deep interest in all that pertained to the 
advancement of the community in which he 
lived. He was a member of the Masonic 
fraternity and during his latter days became 
a member of the United Brethren church. 
His death occurred on June 20. 1870, and 
his remains were interred in the Vigo cem- 
etery in Webster township. The Pierce 
family is of English extraction and was 
founded in America by two brothers, one of 
whom changed the spelling of the name to 
Pearce, while the other retained the original 
f< nn, and it is to the latter branch of the 
family that Mrs. Dutcher belongs. They 
were members of the William Perm colony 
of Quakers that settled in Philadelphia. 
The family has been well represented in all 
the wars of this country; Mrs. Dutcher's 
great-great-uncles, < ie< rge and James 
Pierce, having taken part in the Revolution- 
ary war while her father participated in the 
Black Hawk war and afterward received a 
land warrant for his services. Her grand- 



father, Thomas Goldsbury Pierce, bad a 
family of eight children. 

Airs. Dutcher's mother now resides with 
a son, R. (i. Pierce, in Homer. Iowa. By 
her first marriage she bad two children: 
Polly, who died in childhood; and Robert, 
who married Charity 1 1 ice and now lives in 
Oklahoma. He served through the (nil 
war as a member of Company D, Sixteenth 
Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and held the rank 
of first lieutenant. By her second union 
Mrs. Pierce bad nine children, namely: 
Frank M., who enlisted in Company K, 
Sixth Iowa Cavalry and died in the service: 
Thomas ( ',., who enlisted in Company D. 
Sixteenth Iowa Infantry and was killed at 
the battle of Atlanta. Georgia; Samuel, 
who died in infancy; Sarah W., the wife of 
our subject; Levina, who married Matthew 
Landreth and resides in Baker City, < )re- 
gon ; Alexander, who married Airs. Mary 
(Dingman) Hetzel and resides at Homer. 
Iowa; Martha Jane, who died when one year 
of age; John W., who died at the age of 
five years ; R. ( !., who married Mary Dutch- 
er and later Maud Fisher, and now lives at 
I [1 mer, b >wa. 

Seven children were born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Dutcher, namely : ( 1 ) Thomas S., 
born September 6, [866, married Stella Ew- 
ing and resides in Yell township. They have 
four children : Ralph. Forest. Lester and 
Ernest. (2) Reuben W., born September 
11, 18(18. married Minnie Bankston and re- 
sales in Yell township. The}- have six chil- 
dren : John W.. Floyd, Lillie. Roy. Frank 
M. and Pierce A. (3) Richard J., born 
April 9, 1871. married Hannah Odell and 
resid.es in Yell ti unship. They have three 
children: ('baric-. Thressa and William. 
14) Nancy, born February 15. 1S74. mar- 
ried Sidney Culver, of Lehigh, Iowa, and 



508 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



they have two children: Florence and Syl- 
vester. (5) Robert, born November 25, 
1877, married Sarah J. Carpenter and lives 
in Yell township. (6) Sadie, born Febru- 
ary 14, 1884, is at home with her parents. 
(7) One child died in infancy. 

Mr. Dutcher is a Republican in politics, 
and has been honored by election to many 
of the township offices, always giving entire 
satisfaction in every position he has been 
called upon to fill. He is highly esteemed 
in the neighborhood where he and his fam- 
ily are so well-known ami his life of hard 
work is now crowned by years of ease in 
which to enjoy the comforts secured by 
former toil. 



THOMAS PETERSON. 

It is doubtful if any man in Webster 
county is deserving of greater credit for the 
success which he has made of life than is 
'I hi imas Peterson, one of the prosperous and 
well-known farmers of section 9, Burnside 
township. A self-made man from all stand- 
points, lie was born in Sweden, January 8, 
1845, a son "f Peter Olson and Chastie 
Swanson, who were born and passed their 
entire lives in that country, where the 
mother died in 1886 and the father in 1847. 
The latter was a farmer by occupation, and 
bought and sold grain, tar, barrels, pork 
and other commodities. 

When but two years old Thomas Peter- 
son lost his father by death, but he remained 
on the home place with bis mother until 
about seventeen years of age, when he went 
ti work in his brother's flouring mill and 
remained there until twenty-one years of 
age. He was educated in the district schools 
of Sweden, and early evinced habits of 
thrift and industry. After leaving the 



flouring mill he had charge of his mother's 
farm for about two years, and emigrated 
to America in 1809. In the heme family 
were the following children : Pete, whose 
wife is deceased and who lives in Minne- 
sota; Swan, who married Elizabeth Peter- 
,-'ii and lives in Minnesota; Olof, who is 
married and lives in Sweden ; Peter, who 
died at the age of twertty-itwo years in 
America; Betsy, who is the wife of Olof 
Swenson and lives in Sweden ; and Siesi- 
elga, who married Xels Williams and lives 
in Galesburg, Illinois. 

After arriving in America Mr. Peter- 
sen went to Burlington, Iowa, where he 
worked at unloading railroad ties from cars, 
and was glad to get anything to do, for his 
available assets upon reaching New York 
consisted of two dollars in money and a 
large fund of energy. About a year after 
coming to the United States he left Gales- 
burg and took a steamboat at Quincy for 
Memphis. Tennessee, where he worked on 
the surrounding plantations. During this 
experience he lived with two others in a 
negro hut and did his own cooking, the only 
light he had coming through the door, for 
there were no windows in the cabin. After 
three months of hard labor the heavy rains 
descended and ruined the crops, and all that 
he received as compensation for services 
rendered was fifteen dollars. 

Mr. Peterson then came north to St. 
Louis and worked on the railroad for a 
week, but owing to a severe illness decided 
to return to Galesburg, Illinois, wdiere he 
v as ill lor three months. At Moline, Illi- 
nois, he afterward found work on the rail- 
road for a month, but cold weather setting 
io soon put an end to this source of revenue. 
With but twenty dollars in his pocket he 
hardly saw how he could face a cold winter, 
so he again went south to Memphis, and 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



509 



on the way the boat was caught in a sand 
bank and delayed two clays. After the cap- 
tain had taken the passengers ashore Mr. 
Peterson walked fifteen miles and took a 
tram for twenty miles, finally .reaching 
Memphis. On boarding the boat again he 
was completely out of money and for the 
first and last time in his life was obliged to 
ask for a meal. He received some assist- 
ance from fellow Masons, however, and 
upon arriving in the city managed to secure 
employment at two dollars a day. Having 
tc work a great deal in the cold water while 
making trestles his companions were obliged 
to abandon the work, but he kept at it until 
the job was finished and received for his 
persistance six dollars a day. After this 

he went down the river and. into the w Is 

thirty miles from any habitation, where he 
made a big raft of logs, but when they 
were all piled up ready to float down the 
river the treasured possession of weeks of 
toil took tire and burned. This loss was 
most discouraging, but with a companion 
Mr. Peterson started out with an ax and 
sought a job at building, and before long 
found a man who wanted a house put up 
from timber yet to be cut and prepared, for 
which undertaking he was to receive one 
hundred and seventy dollars. The day be- 
fore the house was finished the landlord 
said he was going to Little Rock to draw 
the money for payment, but the workers 
never saw his face again. His wife made 
the matter right to the best of her ability, 
and gave Mr. Peterson a pony, saddle ami 
bridle, and to his companion a watch, re- 
volver and a few dollars. 

Mr. Peterson then went to work on a 
hay press in the neighborhood, hoping- that 
the man would materialize, but bis plans 
were well laid and all were out of their just 
deserts. After working on the hay press 



for ten days he contracted fewer and ague, 
and so took passage on a steamboat for the 
north, but was so ill that he did not care 
whether he went to the bottom or not. Ar- 
riving in Illinois he was ill for three months, 
after which he went to work at husking 
corn, and during the winter husked five 
thousand bushels. He then rented one hun- 
dred and sixty acres of land in Illinois with 
his brother, Swan, and farmed for two 
years, but did not raise enough the first year 
to pay the rent of the farm. The second 
year they ditched, hauled corn and engaged 
in divers occupations, and were therefore 
aide to meet their expenses, but had nothing 
left over. 

In March, 1872, Mr. Peterson went to 
I'd' t Mound, Boone county, Iowa, and 
bioke prairie for a year, after which he 
rented land for a year, and the following 
year again broke prairie. After purchasing 
forty acres of land with the proceeds of 
this lab >r, he engaged in farming in Boone 
county, and the next year bought another 
forty acres, this being followed two years 
later by the purchase of eighty acres, and 
three years later added eighty acres more. 
In. 1880 he sold a quarter section of land 
for twenty-eight dollars per acre, and 
1 ought the two hundred acres in Burnside 
township, Webster county, upon which he 
now lives, and which is all in one body. 
At a later day he sold the balance of the 
J !i 11 me county land. 

On December 24, 1870. Mr. Peterson 
married .Miss Louise Johnson, who was 
born in Sweden, and whose parents never 
left their native land. In her father's fam- 
ily, besides herself, were two brothers and 
one sister, namely: Charley, a resident of 
Minnesota; Oscar, a farmer of Pilot 
Mound t< wniship, Boone county, Iowa: and 
Augusta, deceased wife of John \Y. War- 



5io 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ner. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have seven 
children: Florence, now the wife of Olof 
Peterson, who lives near her father's farm ; 
Minnie, Mildred, Alice. Edna, Vina and 
Constance, all at home. 

Much of his success in life Mr. Peter- 
son attributes to the influence of a good 
and noble wife, who willingly shared his 
reverses and added cheer to discourage- 
ment. From an association which was at 
hist characterized by the greatest frugality, 
they have advanced to a position where they 
have all that they want in the world, be- 
sides the esteem of the whole community. 
Mr. Peterson rents out a portion of his 
farm, but still lives on it. He is interested 
in the First National Bank at Lehigh, and 
derives a considerable income from the 
breeding and sale of hue stock. A Re- 
publican in national politics, he has never 
been an office seeker, and is liberal to the 
extent of invariably voting for the best 
man. With his wife and children he is a 
member of the Swedish Evangelical Lu- 
theran church. 



OLIVER WOOD. 



Oliver Wood, the well-known postmaster 
of Tara and also the proprietor of the Em- 
pire Hotel of that place, is an important fac- 
tor in business circles, and is thoroughly in- 
terested in whatever tends ti i promote the 
welfare of his t<>wn or c< unity. He was born 
May i, 1844, in Oneida county, Xew York, 
which was also the birthplace of his parents, 
Zepheniah and Betsey (Manchester) Wood, 
their ancestors being among the 1 'blest fam- 
ilies of the county. There the paternal 
grandfather, Zepheniah Wood, Sr., followed 
farming' throughout his life and lived to a 



good old age. His maternal grandfather, 
George Manchester, was one of the prom- 
inent men of the county and served as justice 
of' the peace for some years. He was also 
well advanced in years at the time of his 
death. The father of our subject was a life- 
long resident of his native county, and was 
widely and favorably known as an upright 
honorable man. By occupation he was a 
farmer. In his family were eight children 
who reached man and womanhood, and five 
are still living, namely: George, Stephen, 
Oliver, Sarah and Amos. 

In the county of his nativity, Oliver 

Wood grew to manh 1. and was educated 

in its public school> and the Rome Academy. 
He also worked in a Rochester. Xew York, 
printing house for one year. Coming to 
Webster county, Iowa, in 1865, he secured a 
position with the Northwestern Stage Com- 
pany, and was with them until the Illinois 
Central Railroad was built. He started in 
the capacity of second barn boss and from 
that position he worked his way up until at 
the time of his resignation he was route 
agent fur the company at Fort Dodge. For 
;. short time he was with the same company 
in Arkansas, and on his return to Webster 
county leased and operated a coal mine near 
( )tho for two years. He then turned his at- 
tention tn farming, having purchased land 
in Johnson township, and engaged in its cul- 
tivation and improvement until his removal 
to Tara in June, 1882. His house was the 
first one built in the village, and during his 
residence here he has been engaged in the 
grain and grocer}- business, while at present 
he is also conducting the Empire Hotel and 
serving as postmaster. He erected and 
owns the only brick block in Tara and in ad- 
dition own- considerable real estate, includ- 
ing his own residence, a liven* stable and one 
tenement house. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



5i3 



As a companion on life's journey Mr. 
Wood ch« >se Miss Mary J. Mellor. a native of 
Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, and they 
were united in marriage January 1, 1873. 
The children born to them were Mary E., 
Newton A. ; Xellie B. ; Ralph M. ; Oliver C. , 
deceased ; Walter A. : Sarah B. ; John F. D. ; 
and Mabel E., deceased. 

The Republican party finds in Mr. Wood 
a stanch supporter of its principles, and he 
lias most creditably filled the offices of school 
director, road supervisor and justice of the 
peace, besides serving as postmaster of Tara 
since President Cleveland's first administra- 
tion. He is one of the charter members and 
treasurer of the Brotherhood of American 
Ye imanrv. No. 232. He is a man of excel- 
lent business and executive ability, whose 
sound judgment, unflagging enterprise and 
capable management have brought him a 
well-merited success. In manner he is pleas- 
ant and cordial, which, combined with his 
sterling worth, makes him one of the popular 
citizens of his community. 



S. W. HERRINGTON. 

One of the most prominent and substan- 
tial citizens of Yell township, Webster coun- 
ty, is S. W. Herrington, who is a native of 
Iowa, born in Tama, on the 7th of June, 
1856. His father, John Herrington, was 
born in Ohio, and was there united in mar- 
riage with Mrs. Elizabeth ( Rickord) Hall, 
also a native of that state. About 1855 they 
removed to Tama, Iowa, where he embarked 
in the sawmill business, prospering greatly 
in that undertaking he became the owner of 
a half section of land in this locality in addi- 
tion to other large tracts. He is now a resi- 
lient of Boone, Iowa, where he is living a life 



of comfortable retirement. In his political 
sympathies he is a Democrat, and has al- 
ways supported the Methodist church. His 
wife passed away June 7, 1884, and was 
buried in Otho township, Webster county. 
She was the devoted mother of eleven chil- 
dren, two of whom were by a former mar- 
riage, these being R. Jane, deceased wife of 
William Lepley, of Hardin county, Iowa; 
and Elizabeth, deceased wife of White 
Barnes, of Cody, Nebraska. The children 
of the second marriage were as follows: 
Angeline, wife id" Wilson Stump, of Tama, 
Iowa; Lucinda, wife of John Guthrie, whose 
farm adjoins that of our subject; S. W., of 
this review; A. L., who first married Aman- 
da Brooks and second Nettie Melenger, and 
resides in Webster county; Mattie, wife of 
Levi Humphrey, of Minnesota; and four 
who died in childhood. 

The educational advantages afforded our 
subject were limited to a short period in 
Tama and Hardin counties, as he left school 
at the early age of twelve years in order to 
assist his father in the sawmill. One vear 
later he went on the farm, but the benl of 
his mind was in the direction of machinery 
and he studied engineering, becoming 
skilled enough to run a stationary engine, 
which he managed for three and one-half 
years in Hardin county, and for >ix months 
was an engineer for the Iowa Central rail- 
road. 

In 1876 Mr. Herrington came to Web- 
ster county and for one year was engaged 
in running an engine in a sawmill, which he 
later bought and still owns. In 1895 he 
erected the new mill which is thirty-two feet 
by sixty-seven -in dimensions with annexes 
and is run by a thirty-horse p< vver engine 
and a forty-horse power boiler. Mr. Her- 
rington thoroughly understands this busi- 
ness, and mo h; - arranged a system oi water 



5'4 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



w urks which not only supplies the plant, but 
also through pipes is conducted to his hams, 
residence and dairy. The plans are all his 
own and he displays real mechanical genius 
in such matters. 

In 1878 Mr. Herrington was married in 
Lehigh, Iowa, to Anna Nelson, who was 
born in 1862, a daughter of Anthony and 
Christina Nelson, both natives of Denmark. 
In 1874 Mr. and Mrs. Nelson came to Web- 
ster City, Iowa, and later removed to Le- 
high, where he was engaged in the railroad 
business, dying there in 1880. His widow 
now resides at Thornton, Iowa. Mrs. Her- 
rington was the eldest in a family of six 
children, the survivors being : Myers, win > 
married Ida Irish, and resides in Lehigh; 
Peter, who married Lizzie McAnaly. and 
lives in Webster City; Nettie, who resides 
in Webster county; and Christina, who mar- 
ried William McAnaly, and lives in Lehigh. 
Mrs. Herrington died February 7, 1890, 
and her remains were interred in Otho cem- 
etery. 

On January 21, 1891, at Toledo, Iowa, 
Mr. Herrington was married to Elizabeth 
Nash, who was born in West Meath, Ire- 
land. June 29, 1869. Her parents. William 
and Maria (Hall) Nash, were natives of 
the same county, and on their emigration to 
America, in 1886, settled in Tama, Iowa, 
where her father bought forty acres of land, 
tn which he has since added. He is now one 
of the substantial residents of his locality, a 
prominent member of the Methodist church, 
and an active supporter of the Republican 
party. In his family of six children, Mrs. 
Herrington is the third in order of birth, the 
others being Elizabeth . who died in infancy; 
Anna, who married George Armstrong, and 
lives in Washington township, this county; 
Hattie. who married Chestlev Dixon, of 



Tama county; William, who lives with his 
parents; and a babe, which died in infancy. 

By our subject's first marriage were born 
three children : William, born August 3, 
1880; Harry, Sq>t ember 16, 18S2; and Car- 
rie, on Christmas eve, 1889. The two chil- 
dren of the second marriage were : Ray- 
mond S., who was born May 29, 1894, and 
died December 14, 1894; and Elmer Har- 
old, born April 18, 1896. 

Mr. and Mrs. Herrington occupy a large 
and most comfortable home, and in 1891 he 
erected his commodious barn, one of the best 
in this locality. He owns two hundred and 
twenty acres of fertile land in Webster and 
Yell townships, and his wife has one hun- 
dred and forty acres on section 25, Webster 
township. He and his wife are among the 
leading stockholders of the Lehigh Valley 
Savings Bank. Mr. Herrington calls him- 
self a Democrat, but he is independent 
enough to use his own excellent judgment, 
and votes for the man he feels assured will 
represent the best interests of this section. 
Public-spirited and progressive, he is one of 
the representative men of Webster county. 
With his estimable wife, he is a member of 
the United Brethren church, of which he is 
a most liberal supporter. 



JOHN L. HAXXON. 

While Mr. Hannon is himself a native 
of England, born in Manchester, July 3, 
1N43, he is of Irish parentage and descent. 
His parents, Patrick and Ellen (Reynolds) 
Hannon, were natives of Dublin, where 
they were reared and married, but later 
for some time the father was employed as 
master of horse on a nobleman's estate in 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



515 



England. In the hope that America might 
offer them advantages greater than those of 
Great Britain, they decided to seek a home 
in the new world, and in 1845 crossed the 
ocean in a sailing vessel that consumed 
seven weeks in the voyage. Landing in 
New York, they proceeded west to Wiscon- 
sin, and settled on a farm, later buying land 
in Lake county, Illinois, where the father 
died in December, 1854. Accompanying 
her children, the mother came to Webster 
county. Iowa, where she died January 15, 
1887. Four of her children were born in 
England and two in America. The oldest, 
Charles, enlisted in Company K, Twelfth 
Wisconsin Infantry, and remained at the 
front until he was killed in the battle of 
Balls Bluff, Georgia. James, who enlisted 
in Company H, Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, 
was drowned near Cairo while in the ser- 
vice. Robert, who married Mrs. Katherine 
Barnes, and had four children, died, in 
Washington township, Webster county, 
August 10, 1900. Andrew, who lives at 
Duncombe. Iowa, married Mary Hannon, 
and has one child. Nicholas, a farmer of 
Washington township, Webster county, 
married Kate Fitzgerald, and has two chil- 
dren, Leo and Roy. 

In this family John L. was third in or- 
der of birth. When the family came to 
America he was less than three years of 
age, hence his earliest recollections are of 
the United States, and he knows no other 
home than this. His schooling was secured 
in Bristol, Wisconsin, and Lake county, 
Illinois, but after he was fourteen he left 
school in order to give his whole time to 
farm work. On August 14, 1861. at Chi- 
cago, Illinois, be enlisted in Company F, 
Thirty-seventh Illinois Infantry, which was 
mustered into service there and ordered to 
St. Louis, thence up the river to St. Joseph. 



next to Springfield, Missouri, and was then 
through the entire siege of Vicksburg under 
General Grant. A later order sent the regi- 
ment to New < Means and from there on the 
Red river expedition, across the gulf to 
Texas and up to Brownsville. On the ex- 
piration of the term of service. Air. Hannon 
was honorably discharged at Chicago, Aug- 
ust 17, 1864, and returned to the homestead 
in Lake county. 

The first marriage of Mr. Hannon took 
place in Genoa, Wisconsin, in January, 
1865, and united him with Mary Ann Lam- 
bert, who was born in Xew York in 1843. a 
daughter of Patrick and Ann Lambert, na- 
tives respectively of Ireland and Newfound- 
land. Her parents were married in New 
York state, lint later settled in Kenosha, 
Wisconsin, where the father died in 1850. 
Subsequent to In. death his widow came to 
Iowa and died in Ringgold county in 1892. 
They were the parents of nine children, 
named as follows: Joseph P.. of Union 
county. Iowa: William, who married Alary 
Hart and lives in Ringgold county, this 
state; Kate, wife of William Beecher. of 
Kenosha county, Wisconsin; Alary Ann, 
Airs. Hannon: James, of Montana; John, of 
Ringgold county, Iowa; Airs. Ellen McGov- 
ern. of Chicago. Illinois; Rose, who mar- 
ried John Shay and lives in Ringgold coun- 
ty, Iowa; and Alargaret. a twin sister of 
Rose, who is married and lives in Ringgold 
county. Airs. Mary Ann Hannon died in 
1875- 

In Chicago, [llinois, January 29. 1879, 
Air. Hannon married Airs. Bridget (Du- 
gan ) Finn, who was born in Xew York, 
October 26, 1849.' Her parents. Patrick 
and Julia (Madden) Dugan, were natives 
ol County Limerick. Ireland, where they 
were reared and married. In 1846 Air. 
Dugan came to America and a year later 



Si6 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



his wife joined him. They settled in New 
York, where lie followed the milling busi- 
ness. A subsequent temporary location was 
in Indiana, another in Illinois, and finally 
they removed to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where 
Mr. Dugan died, in April, 1873, and his 
wife December 14, 1889. They were the 
parents of six children, namely : Walter, 
who died in Ireland at the age of eighteen 
months; Mary, who is unmarried and lives 
in Kenosha county, Wisconsin; Bridget, 
Mrs. Hannon : Anna, who is unmarried and 
lives at Lake Forest, Illinois; John, who 
died, unmarried, at thirty-nine years of age; 
and Michael, also unmarried, now living in 
Kenosha county, Wisconsin. 

By his first marriage Mr. Hannon had 
the following named children: William, 
born December 12. 1865. is now engaged in 
the insurance business at Cherokee, Iowa; 
Robert, born November 13, 1867, is a farm- 
er near Cherokee; Ellen, born July 24, 1869, 
lives In Chicago; Mary, born April 14, 1871. 
is the wife of Emmett Warren, of Webster 
Citv. Iowa; and John D., born December 

20, 1873. completes the family. The chil- 
dren born of Mr. Hannon' s second marriage 
are named as follows: Francis, born April 
14, 1880; Rose A., who was born August 
6, 1882, and is now a teacher in the public 
schools of Webster county; Laura, born 
December iS, 18S4: Agnes D., September 

21. 1888; and Emmett T.. December 15, 
[891. By her former marriage Mrs. Han- 
non has one son, John T. Finn, who is single 
and makes his home with his mother and 
stepfather. The family are connected with 
the Roman Catholic church. The farm 
which they own and occupy is situated on 
section 29. Washington township. Webster 
county, and comprises one hundred and 
twenty acres of land, all of which has been 
accumulated through the persistent industry 



and wise management of Mr. Hannon, rec- 
ognized as one of the most enterprising 
farmers of his locality. He is a Democrat 
in political belief and on that ticket has been 
elected director of the schools of his district. 



HENRY GIRDEY. 



The end of the praiseworthy career of 
Henry Girdey, which occurred March 10, 
1900, removed one of the well known men of 
this section of the county, and one of the 
best farmers of Dayton township. The acci- 
dent of birth alone prevented Mr. Girdey 
from being an American in every sense of 
the word, for when but seven years of age 
he left his native land of Norway, where he 
was born in 1842, and with an older brother 
set sail for the quaintly interesting town of 
Quebec, Canada. A short time after land- 
ing he removed to Wisconsin and labored 
at various occupations until a demand for his 
services was created by the Civil war, and in 
[865 he enlisted in Company B, Forty-Ninth 
Wisconsin Infantry, under Captain Dens- 
more and General Fallows. The depriva- 
tions and exposure to which he was subjected 
while in the service resulted in severe rheu- 
matism and neuralgia, and he was there- 
fore unfitted for active work, so did guard 
duty at St. Louis and Raleigh, Missouri. 

With the return of peace. Mr. Girdey 
again lived in Wisconsin and worked out 
by the day and month, but finally came to> 
Dayton township. Webster county. Iowa, 
where he succeeded beyond his expectations, 
and not only accumulated a farm of three 
hundred and twenty acres, but became an 
important element in the administration of 
town affairs. His original purchase was a 
quarter section, but as his interests increased 



Jp^t ^*»K 


w 




#0 




wL. 


M; 





HENRY GIRDEY 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



5>9 



more land was needed, and the result was 
thai he left his children and wife well pro- 
vided for. He had three brothers and one 
sister: Sherman, Knute, Paul and Julia. 

In his young manhcx d Mr. Girdey mar- 
ried Hannah Larson, who was born in Swe- 
den. April 1 J. 1837. and whose parents lived 
and died in their native land. Besides her- 
self there were two sons and three daughters 
in the family: Perry, born in [826, is mar- 
ried and resides in Sweden; Anna, born in 
1833, now deceased; Elsie, born in 1841, 
lives in Denmark; Andrew, born in Swe- 
den in 1835. is a farmer two miles west of 
J >a\ t< m, L >wa. Mrs. < iirdey came to Amer- 
ica in [864, upon a sailing vessel which left 
Malma, Sweden, and she landed in Quebec 
after six weeks and two days. On the way 
from Quebec to Montreal she sustained 
severe injuries and a broken arm owing to a 
railroad wreck caused by an open railroad 
bridge. This catastrophy was the means 1 E 
causing death of more than one hundred peo- 
ple, besides injuring many others. At the 
time of the accident a boat was passing 
through the open bridge, and the train, in 
speeding on its way, plunged down upon the 
boat with terrific force. As the result of her 
injuries, Airs. Girdey was confined in a 
Montreal hospital for a couple of month,, 
the expense of her treatment being met by 
the railroad company. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Girdey were born 
five children, namely : ( 1 ) Ella May is now 
the wife of Adah Leonard, who lives one 
and a half miles northwest of Dayton, and 
they have three children : Frank. Nellie and 
Arab. 1 2) Sherman Andrew, horn August 
31, 1869, married Bertha lies and lives on 
r. portion of the old homestead. (3) Emma 
Belle, born November 21, 1871, married 
George Khmer and has two children. Fern 



and Iva, 14 1 Charles Henry, born April 4, 
1874, lives with his mother and operates the 
1 Jd homestead. 1 5 1 Julia I [annah, horn 
November 21, 1N70, is also at home. Mrs. 
Girdey is now an invalid, having suffered 1 
stroke of paralysis which extends over her 
whole side and makes walking a greal effort. 
Air. Girdey was a public-spirited man 
and a stanch Republican, although he made 
no effort to secure official recognition. He 
was affiliated with the Grand Army of the 
Republic, among whom he had many warm 
friends, and among whom his associal 
of a most genial and pleasant nature. 



GEORGE A. DODGE. 

George A. Dodge, a skillful farmer re- 
siding on section 23. Roland township, 
Webster county. Iowa, was born on the 8th 
of March, 1855. in Sullivan county. New 
York, his parents being L. H. and Julia 
Ann (Lawrence) Dodge, also natives 1 f the 
Empire state. There his paternal grand- 
father, Augustus Dodge, was also horn, the 
family being early settlers of New York and 
of English descent. The father of our sub- 
ject was born in 1827, and spent his early 
life as a farmer in Sullivan county. On 
craning to Iowa in 1873 he first located in 
Jasper count}', where he made his home until 
1881, and then bought a farm in Greene 
county, which he operated for a few years, 
but is now living a retired life in Payti n. a 
hale and hearty old man of seventy-four. 

In the county of hi- nativity (in rge A. 
Dodge was reared and educated, being given 
good school privileges and completing his 
education at an academy. Following Hor- 
ace Greeley's advice he came west in 1X74 
and settled in Allamakee county, Iowa, 



520 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



where he was employed in a lumber yard 
for nearly three years. At the end of that 
time he removed to Jasper county and was 
engaged in farming with his father for two 
years. 

While there Mr. Dodge was married, 
February n, 1880. to Miss Sophia Smith, 
who was also born, reared and educated in 
Sullivan county. Xew York, her father, 
Shipman G. Smith, being a life-long resi- 
dent of that county and a farmer by occupa- 
tion. By this union there were born three 
children, namely: Clara, who was educat- 
ed at Tobin College, Fort Dodge, and has 
successfully engaged in teaching school in 
this county for nearly three years: Bertha, 
who is now a student in the home school; 
and Ray, who died April 15, 1901, in his 
twelfth year, and was laid to rest in the 
Gowrie cemetery. 

After his marriage Mr. Dodge removed 
to Marshal] county and rented a farm in 
Timber Creek township. After raising two 
crops he came to Webster county, in 1882, 
and purchased a farm of eighty acres in 
Roland township, where he has since made 
his home. lie erected thereon a small 
house, which he has since remodeled and 
enlarged; has built fences and outbuild- 
ings ; has set out fruit and shade trees ; and 
has tilled and broken the land, placing it 
under a high state of cultivation. He has 
also added to the farm and now has one 
hundred and sixty acres of rich and arable 
land. He raises a good grade of stock, and 
in this branch of his business is also meet- 
ing with success. At the time of his mar- 
riage he was in limited circumstances, but 
being industrious and enterprising he has 
steadily overcome the obstacles in his path, 
and with the assistance of his estimable 
wife has succeeded in gaining a home and 
comfortable competence. 



On attaining his majority Mr. Dodge 
became identified with the Democracy and 
cast his first presidential vote for Samuel J 
Tilden in 1876, but believing the principles 
of the Republican party best calculated to 
advance the interests of the people he now 
supports that great political organization. 
For six years he was a member of the school 
board, and did much to> promote the educa- 
tional interests in his community. He and 
his family are members of the Congrega- 
tional church at Gowrie. In 1901 Mr. and 
Mrs. Dodge attended the Pan-American 
Exposition at Buffalo, and also visited their 
old home and friends in Sullivan county, 
Xew York, spending about a month among 
the old familiar scenes of their youth. 



FRED EDWARD PAYNE. 

As a scientific farmer and cattle raiser 
Mr. Payne is known throughout Webster 
county, and especially in the latter capacity 
has a reputation second to none. He was 
born in Amboy. Lee county. Illinois, Sep- 
tember 26, 1857, a son of C. H. and Sarah 
( Reede) Payne, who were born in Ver- 
mont and married in Galesburg, Illinois. 

During his youth Mr. Payne had but 
limited educational advantages, his train- 
ing being confined to three terms in the 
country schools, two winters at Fort Dodge, 
and two winter terms at Lehigh. The early 
necessity for contributing towards the fam- 
ily maintenance caused him to seek employ- 
ment at an early age of the surrounding 
agriculturists until nineteen years of age, 
and what schooling came his way was in 
return for services rendered on different 
farms. At the age of twenty long dormant 
ambitions took definite shape, and in order 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



to satisfy a craving to enlarge bis sphere 
nf action he went to Chicago and learned 
the trade of a machinist. 

( >n September 31. 1880. Mr. Payne mar- 
ried Lillie Hart, daughter of G. D. Id art. 
After about ten years of suffering she was 
released by death September 30, 1898. 
She was a woman etf must exalted charac- 
ter, and her patience while an invalid and 
her beautiful devotion to her family was 
an inspiration to all with whom she came 
in contact. She was a Christian in the tru- 
est sense of the word, and her passing away 
left a void in the hearts of all who had 
known and loved her. She was the mother 
if two children, Calla, born September 6, 
1881, and George, born May 16, 1887. 

On January 10, 1899, Mr. Payne mar- 
ried Emma Johnson, who bad been a mem- 
ber of his family for several years, and who 
had faithfully cared for his invalid wife for 
six vears before her death : She was born 
in Kalo September 4, 1880. 

After his first marriage Mr. Payne re- 
turned with his wife to Chicago and worked 
for George P. Bent, the sewing machine 
manufacturer. In return for services ren- 
dered he received eighteen dollars a week, 
and lived with Mr. and Mrs. Bent, who 
charged nothing for house rent, fire or gas, 
Owing to the failure of bis wife's health 
he thought it better to live in the country, 
and therefore settled in Otbo> township, this 
county, and engaged in the breeding of 
thoroughbred cattle and hogs. He is the 
owner of eighty acres of land, and his home 
was formerly the parsonage of the Congre- 
gational^ church. In 1881 be began to 
raise short horn cattle and finally had nine- 
teen head, and in 1889 bought a red polled 
bull and has since also raised that breed of 
cattle. A complete record is kept of the 
pedigree of every animal calved, and this 



is quite an undertaking when it is known 
that he has sold over one hundred heifers 
and one hundred hulls. The red pi lied 
hull COSt three hundred and fifty dollars. 
Mr. Payne is known as one of the most 
successful cattle breeders in the county, and 
his industry and attention to his favorite 
occupatimi have brought in their train sub- 
stantial remuneratii >n. 

A Republican in politics, Mr. Payne is 
a stanch upholder nf the principles and is- 
sues of Ins party, hut has never desired pub- 
lic office and its attendant distractions ami 
responsibilities, lie is a member nf the 
Congregational church, while his wife is 
affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal 
church. 



CHARLES H. REYNOLDS. 

Charles H. Reynolds, who is now so 
efficiently serving as county surveyor of 
Websier county, and city engineer at Fort 
Dodge, is a native of Iowa, born near Man- 
chester, Delaware count}', December 3, 1874, 
and was only two or three years old when 
the family came to Webster county. His 
father, A. J. Reynolds, who served as street 
commissioner of Fort Dodge for a time, 
died in this city, August 11, 1898. His 
widow still makes her home here. They 
were the parents of three children, one son 
and two daughters. 

Charles H. Reynolds was educated a1 
the Fort Dodge high school, and after leav- 
ing that institution became assistant city en- 
gineer in June, 1893. in which capacity he 
served until April, 1899, when he was ap- 
pointed city engineer and has since filled 
that position in a most creditable and satis- 
factory manner, this being bis third term. 
In the summer of 1898 when the county 



522 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



surveyor moved away, Mr. Reynolds was 
appointed to fill out the unexpired term, and 
in November, 1899, was elected to that 
office and is now serving his third term as 
county surveyor to the satisfaction of all 
concerned. In this connection he does con- 
siderable work in the line of constructing' 
sewers, building bridges, and grading and 
paving streets, and is meeting with well de- 
served success in his undertaking's. 

On the nth of October, 1898. Mr. Rey- 
nolds was united in marriage with Miss 
Laura E. Beresford, ami to them has been 
born one child, Miriam Margaret. By his 
ballot he supports the men and measures of 
the Republican party, and takes quite an 
active and influential part in local politics. 



ROBERT HANNAN. 

The late Robert Hannan, of Washing- 
ton township, Webster county, was burn in 
England, January 15, 1850, and came to the 
United States in early childhood, subse- 
quently attending school in Kenosha county, 
Wisconsin, and Lake county, Illinois. In 
company with bis mother be came to Web- 
ster county and, after his brother Nicholas 
left home, be took charge of the farm. His 
marriage, in Eagle Grove, Iowa, September 
24, 1890, united him with Mrs. Katberine 
(Ryan) Barnes, who was bora in County 
Tipperary, Ireland, February 16, 1853, a 
daughter of John and Elizabeth Ryan. Her 
father was a native of County Limerick, as 
were also his parents. Matthew and Mary 
(Dwyer) Ryan. A member of a family de- 
sirous of giving their children the highest 
advantages, be was sent to Dublin College, 
where be remained until graduating. Later 
he became an employe of the English govern- 



ment. He died in Ireland June 6, 1865, 
when forty-seven years of age. His wife 
was a daughter of Martin and Katberine 
(O'Shannessy) Ryan, both of whom were 
buried at the Rock of Cashel, one of the 
nn >st 111 >ted burying grounds in Ireland. An 
uncle of Mrs. Katberine Ryan was bishop 
of the Catholic church in the county of 
Clare, Ireland. 

After the death of John Ryan, his widow 
brought the children to America, landing in 
Quebec, July 7, 1865, and thence proceeding 
to Evansville, Indiana. Soon, however, she 
made another move, this time settling in 
Iowa City, Iowa- In February, 1868, she 
was married to J. E Ft wers, and they now 
make their home in Duncombe, Iowa. By 
her first marriage thirteen children were 
born, namely: Matthew, who married 
Bridget H. Callahan, but is now deceased: 
Martin, who died, unmarried, at the age of 
fifty years : Mary, who married Patrick But- 
ler, of Webster county. Iowa, but both are 
now deceased; Michael, of Hailey, Idaho; 
James, who lives in Denver, Colorado' ; Katb- 
erine, the twin sister of James, and his wid- 
ow of our subject: John, who is unmarried 
and makes his home in British Columbia; 
Hugh, also unmarried, and a resident of 
Denver, G loradd; Lizzie, who died in in- 
fancy; Frank, who married Anna Gearren 
and lives in Wallace. Idaho; Jeremiah, who 
has never married, and now makes his home 
with bis sister, Mrs. Hannan; Bridget J., 
Mrs. John Maloney, of Denver, Colorado: 
and Morris, who died at three years of age. 
While in Ireland Miss Katberine Ryan 
attended a Young Ladies' Seminary in 
County Tipperary. At the age of twelve 
years she came to America with the other 
members of the family, and remained at 
home until her marriage, August 6, 1871, at 
Fort Dodge, Iowa, to John Barnes. Like 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



525 



herself, Air. Barnes was of Irish birth and 
descent. He was born in County Kilkenny, 
in July. 1848, a son of Walter and Man- 
Barnes, natives of the same county. The 
mother died in Ireland, and later the father 
came to America, where he engaged in farm 
pursuits. Concerning his death nothing is 
definitely known except that he mysteriously 
disappeared and it was supposed that he was 
killed in Buffalo, New York. In his family 
there were six children, those besides John 
being as follows: Alary. Mrs. Paul Ryan, 
formerly of Buffalo, New York, now de- 
ceased: Martin, who married and settled in 
Pottawattamie county. Iowa: Richard, who 
was twenty-two years of age at the time of 
his death: Michael, who died in Buffalo, 
New York; and Anastasia. Airs. Thomas 
Malone, who died in Buffali ►, New Y< nrk. 

Throughout his active life John Barnes 
followed farm pursuits, continuing in the 
same until he died, January 29, 1874. In 
politics he was a Democrat and in religii >n a 
member of the Roman Catholic church. 
The only son of his marriage was Walter 
Barnes, who was born at Border Plains, 
Iowa, May 18, 1872, and died December 9, 
1876. For many years after the death of 
her husband Mrs. Barnes remained a widow, 
but in 1890 she was again married, this time 
to the subject of our sketch, pour children 
were born of their union, namely : Ellen, 
born August 27, 1891 ; John, May [8, [893; 
Elizabeth, March 7, 1895; and James, Sep- 
tember 11, 1896. 

Among the various local offices held 
by Air. Hannan were those of township 
clerk, assessor, road commissioner and 
member of the school board, in all of which 
he rendered efficient and painstaking ser- 
vice. As township trustee he was 
placed in intimate connection with I 
ship affairs. Throughout his life he was 



steadfasl in his allegiance to the Demi 
party. In religii a Roman I 

olic and for years acted as a trustee of the 
church at Lehigh. One especially note- 
worthy feature of his character was his aver- 
sion to debt. It was a matter of pridi 
him that he 1 wed m < man. In all of his busi- 
ness transactions he was upright, winning 
and retaining the confidence of those who 
had dealings with him. He died August to, 
1900, mourned by a host of warm personal 
friends. Since his death Airs. Hannan has 
undertaken the management of the home- 
stead farm on section 29, Washington town- 
ship, and the excellent condition of the prop- 
erty indicates her capability as a business 
woman. The estate comprises one hundred 
and forty acres, bearing good improvements, 
including a neat residence, which is the home 
of Mrs. Hannan and her children. 



AUGUSTUS JOHNSON. 

No foreign element has bec< me a more 
important part in our American citizenship 
than that furnished by Sweden. The emi- 
grants from that land have brought with 
them to the new world the stability, 
prise and perseverance characteristii 
their people, and have fused these qualities 
with the progres and indomitable 

spirit of the west. Mr. J< hnson v. 
hy representath 1 ass. 

IP was born in Sweden, April 29, [838, 

1 of John and ( 'arrie Johnson, who 

la-ought tli. to America in 

and I hicago, but the father was 

111 >t 1' «g permit ■ h mie, 

rival. 
His v survived him. died ::t 

the sp 



526 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Reared in his native land until fifteen 
years of age, our subject acquired his edu- 
cation in the schools of that country, and 
Ins knowledge of the English language was 
self-acquired after coming to the new world. 
He accompanied the family on their emi- 
gration, and made his home in Chicago for 
several years, being there during the great 
fire which swept over that city in the fall 
of 187.1. He was in the one-hundred-day 
service during the Civil war, enlisting June 
2, 1862, in the Sixty-seventh Illinois Volun- 
teer Infantry, but was never sent out of 
the citv. his command being assigned to 
garrison duty, guarding prisoners. In Sep- 
tember, 1862, he was honorably discharged. 

On the 26th of March, 1873, in Chica- 
go, Mr. Johnson married Miss Matilda 
Carlson, who was also born and reared in 
Sweden, and they became the parents of 
six children, namely: Charles W., Robert 
A., Hilburn E., Anna and Minda. all born 
i:i Greene county. Iowa; and Oscar, burn 
on the present homestead in Webster 
county. 

Coming to Iowa in 1S73, Mr. Johnson 
first located in Greene county, where the 
year previously he had purchased eighty 
acres of land, only a small part of which 
had been broken and a small house erected 
thereon. To the further improvement and 
cultivation of that farm he devoted his en- 
ergies until 1886, when he sold the place 
and removed to Webster county, buying one 
hundred and sixty acres in Gowrie town- 
ship, where he made his home until his 
death. January 29, 1902, after an illness 
of only seventeen days. This he converted 
into a well improved and highly cultivated 
tract, and successfully engaged in general 
farming and stock raising thereon. From 
time to time he bought more land until he 
had four hundred and fortv acres, but later 



gave three of his sons eightv acres each, as 
well as a team of horses, and they are now 
engaged in farming on their own account. 
Mr. Johnson commenced life without cap- 
ital, and the success that he achieved was 
due to his unremitting labor, perseverance 
and good management. He became one of 
the substantial men of his community, as 
well as one of its honored and highly re- 
spected citizens. 

At national elections Mr. Johnson sup- 
ported the Republican party, casting his 
first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, 
but at local elections, where no issue was 
involved, be voted for the men whom he 
believed best qualified fur office, regardless 
of partv lines. He served two years as a 
member of the school board in Greene 
county, and three years in this county, hav- 
ing ever been a stanch friend of our public 
school system. 



J. E. COXKLIX. 



The Coriklin family, well known in 
Webster county. Iowa, originated many 
years ago in Germany. A worthy and sub- 
stantial member is J. E. Conklin, one of 
the prominent and successful farmer citi- 
zens of Yell township. Since the age of 
eighteen years this state has been his home, 
although he was born in Allegany county, 
Maryland, on January n, 1850. His par- 
ents, Daniel and Elizabeth (Herstine) 
Conklin, were natives of Pennsylvania, 
where they lived until the death of the 
mother, in 1852. The second marriage of 
Daniel Conklin was to Nancy Scott, a na- 
tive of Virginia, and in 1854 they removed 
to Indiana, and in 1868, to Warren county. 
Iowa, locating near Des Moines. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



527 



Among the first of the loyal citizens to 
respond to the country's call for help in 
1861 was Daniel Conklin, who enlisted 
from Putnam county. Indiana. September 
10, 1 86 1, and was mustered in at Lafayette, 
Indiana. September 18, as chief musician 
of the Tenth Regiment. Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, and was assigned to the Third 
Brigade. Third Division, of the Fourteenth 
Army Corps, in the Army of the Cumber- 
land. He participated in all of the engage- 
ments of his regiment up to the time of his 
honorable discharge by order the war de- 
partment, order "No. 126, March 3, 1863. 

In 1880 Mr. Conklin removed with his 
family to Webster county and located in 
Yell township, where his wife died in 1886. 
In 1891 he married Mrs. E. J. Allen, who 
now resides in Burnside township. The 
children of the first marriage numbered 
two, namely : Margaret, deceased wife of 
A. J. Little, who is connected with a pub- 
lishing house of Chicago; and J. E., of this 
sketch. The children of the second mar- 
riage were: Flora, deceased wife of Z. T. 
Hargis. who resided five miles south of 
Des Moines: John R., who married Angie 
Comley and resides in Sac City. Iowa : and 
a child who died in infancy. 

The early life and school days of our 
subject were passed in Greencastle, Indiana. 
He was eighteen years of age when the 
family removed to Iowa, and he attended 
school until he was twenty-one years of age, 
in Des Moines, during the winter sessions, 
passing the summers in work on the farm. 
With his father and brother he assisted in 
operating a large farm and continued there 
until his marriage. His father, who died 
in 1896, gave him a quarter section of land 
in Yell township, and following in the foot- 
steps of that father, and adopting his 
methods, he has likewise been successful. 



Later, by purchase, he became the owner 
of eighty acres of the Conklin estate, which 
i- o,n section 32, and now owns two hun- 
dred and fort}' acres in section 30, in Yell 
t< w nship, where he not only carries on 
practical farming, but raises some of the 
best high-grade stock ever put on the mar- 
ket in this township. 

Mr. Conklin owns an ideal country 
home, his barns, granaries, orchards and 
general surroundings indicating the pros- 
perity and good management which pre- 
vails. In public affairs he has taken an 
active part and has been honored by his 
fellow citizens with almost all of the local 
offices. His adherence to the Republican 
party has been life-long. 

On PJecember 22, 1880, Mr. Conklin 
was united in marriage to Mary Chapman, 
who was born in Warren county, Illinois. 
May 30, [858, and is a daughter of Daniel 
and Hannah (H'ilburn) Chapman, the 
former a native of Indiana, the latter of 
South Carolina. They came to Iowa in 
1869, and Mr. Chapman took up a river 
claim, near Dayton, remaining upon it until 
his death. August 21. 1883. His burial 
was at Dayton, Iowa. He was a man who 
had many friends, was a stanch Republi- 
can and a consistent member of the Meth- 
( dist church. His widow survived until 
May I'). [898. She was the mother of six 
children : Rebecca, deceased wife of B. W. 
Paine, of Elmwood, Nebraska: Rhoda C, 
who is the wife of O. W. Dingman, of 
Mesa, G lorado; R. L, who married Susie 
Winslow, and resides in Winterset. Iowa: 
I W., who married Laura Mead, and re- 
sides in Winterset; Mary, now Mrs. Conk- 
lin: and Elizabeth, wife of Alexander En- 
nis, 1 if Kansas. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Conklin a family of 
nine children has been born, namely: Dan- 



523 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ie! Ray, who was born October 21, 1881, 
and died September 25, 1893; Maggie E., 
born July 17, 1883; Joseph W., born June 
14, 1885; Annie, who was born July 12, 
[887, and died in infancy; William Ernest, 
bom July 19, 1888; Charles H., born July 
13, [890; Mary Edna, who was born No- 
vember 19, 1892. and died October 31, 
1803: Dorothea May, born February 23, 
1895; Emma Pearl, born September 11, 
[897; and Ida Aurel. born November 5, 
1901. 



NICHOLAS HANNON. 

Kenosha county, Wisconsin, is Mr. 
Hanm ni's native place, and August 26, 
1855, the 'date of his birth. When quite 
small his father, Patrick Hannon, moved to 
Lake county, Illinois, where his education 
was secured. However, his advantages 
were limited, as from the age of twelve 
years he practically made his own way in 
the world; and, although he afterward stud- 
ied some during the winter months, yet his 
attention was principally given to farm 
work. At the age of eighteen years he took 
charge of the homestead, in the management 
of which he continued for si me years. 

In Corpus Christi church at Fort Dodge, 
Iowa, November 24, 1884, Father Kelly 
performed the ceremony which united in 
marriage Nicholas Hannon and Kate Fitz- 
gerald, the latter a native of Nenia, Ohio, 
born August 10, 1865. Her father, John 
Fitzgerald, was born in County Kerry. Ire- 
land, in 1815, and at the age of about twenty 
years came to America, settling in Nenia, 
Ohio. There he met and married Bridget 
Collins, who was born in County Kerry, in 
1829, and crossed the ocean when eighteen 
years old. After marriage they settled near 



Clyde, Sandusky county, Ohio, and re- 
mained in that locality for fifteen years. 
Their residence in Iowa dated from Sep- 
tember 1, 1876, when they arrived in Web- 
ster county. Immediately afterward he 
bought forty acres in Washington township 
and to the improvement of this property he 
gave his attention, continuing there until he 
died, September 19, 1885. Since his death 
the widow has continued to reside on the 
old homestead. Both were reared in the 
faith of the Roman Catholic church and 
always remained true to its teachings. They 
were the parents of three daughters, Jennie. 
Mary and Kate. 

After his marriage Nicholas Hannon 
settled on a rented farm, leaving his brother, 
Robert, to take care of the homestead. Two 
years later he bought one hundred and 
thirty-eight acres near Border Plains, on 
sections 29, 30 and 31, Washington town- 
ship. Since coming here he has erected a 
modern and comfortable residence and has 
also put up substantial buildings for the 
shelter of stock or the storage of grain and 
machinery. Much of his attention is given 
to the raising of stock for the market, in 
which he is meeting with a gratifying de- 
gree of success. On the Democratic ticket 
he has been elected to various township 
' offices. Both he and his wife are identified 
with St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church. 
They are the parents of two sons: Leo 
James, born October 28, 1887; and Roy 
Nicholas, March 17, 1892. 



H. O. BALDWIN. 

H. O. Baldwin, one of the most popular 
and successful photographers of Fort 
Dodge, was born in this city on the 8th 
of March. 1872. a son of Henry H. and 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



529 



Emma (Stephenson) Baldwin. The father 
is a native of New Jersey, but when young 
removed to Ohio with his parents, his fa- 
ther spending - his remaining' days in G 1- 
lumbus, that state. In 18115 Henry H. 
Baldwin came to Fort Dodge, and having 
previously learned the printer's trade in Co- 
lumbus, he found employment in the office 
of the Fort Dodge Times, but is now in 
the mechanical department of The Mes- 
senger. In former years Mr. Baldwin was 
associated with the different papers of the 
city, but since 1893 has practically lived 
retired from the business. He served four 
years in the Union Army during the Civil 
war, valiantly fighting for the old flag and 
the cause it represented. His wife, who 
was horn in Strawtown, Indiana, died in 
Fort Dodge, August 18, 1899, when about 
fifty years of age. Unto them were horn 
four children, namely: Carrie, who died in 
1886: H. O.. our subject; Richard, a mail 
carrier of Fort Dodge; and Dawn, who is 
her father's housekeeper. 

Reared in Fort Dodge, Mr. Baldwin 
of this review is indebted to the public 
schools of the city for his educational ad- 
vantages. At the age of fourteen he en- 
tered the employ of Garrison Brothers, pho- 
t' graphers, whose studio was in the Crosby 
block, over Rudesill's store, which has since 
been destroyed by fire. There he served a 
three years' apprenticeship to the photog- 
rapher's art, and then accepted a position 
i 1 a studio at Sioux City. Iowa, where he 
remained until 1894. Returning to Fort 
Dodge, he then entered the employ of F. 
A. Garrison, who owned the gallery now- 
occupied by Mr. Baldwin, and worked for 
him until 1898, when he purchased a half 
interest in the business and assumed the 
management. In March, 1900, he bought 
out his prrtner, and has since been alone in 



business, though he employs three assist- 
ants. A man of artistic tastes, his work 
possesses exceptional merit, and he receives 
a liberal share of the public patronage. His 
studio, which is well equipped with all 
modern appliances known to the art, is sit- 
uated on Central avenue opposite the county 
court house, and is thoroughly up-to-date 
in all its appointments. 

Mr. Baldwin was married in 1895 to 
Miss Byrd Utley, of Alden, Iowa. He is 
.1 prominent member of the Photographers' 
Association of Iowa, is the present vice- 
president of the same, and also belongs to 
the Masonic order and the Royal Arcanum. 



JAMES WELCH. 

A faithfulness and devotion to duty no 
less than untiring industry has placed Mr. 
Welch among the successful farmers of 
Burnside township. He was born in Illinois 
August 27, [826, a son of Thomas and Re- 
becca (Baldridge) Welch, natives respec- 
tively of Kentucky and North Carolina. His 
parents, who were fanning people, spent 
their last years in Fulton county, Illinois, a 
si range coincidence being the fact that both 
died on the same day. — March 15. 1847, — 
the father being eighty-seven years of age, 
while his wife had attained the age of sixty- 
three. 

Many interesting things in connection 
with his youth in the earl}- days of Illinois 
are recalled by Mr. Welch, his school train- 
ing especially being acquired under very 
primitive conditions. Ilis education was 
limited to three months' study, and the 
schoi 1 was held in a part of his father's old 
log cabin, where about ten pupils delved 
into the intricacies of fractions and gram- 



53° 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



mar. The teacher used the time honored 
McGuffey's speller, and drew his moral 
teaching from the New Testament, the only 
portion of the Bible of which they had any 
knowledge. The serious and responsible 
side of life was presented to our subject 
at a very early age, for his father was dis- 
abled for some time before his death and 
the entire management and work on the 
farm devolved upon the youthful shoulders 
of his son. However, he proved equal to 
the emergency and provided for his parents 
as lung as they lived. The father was a 
preacher in the Christian church, and for 
many years combined the occupation of 
farming with that of ministering to the 
spiritual needs of his community. 

Shortly after his parents' death Mr. 
Welch was united in marriage with Miss 
Elizabeth Wheeler, the ceremony being per- 
formed May 20. 1847. Mrs. Welch was 
burn in Ohio, January 19, 1831, a daugh- 
ter of Henry and Eliza (Link) Wheeler, 
natives of Pennsylvania, and early resi- 
dents of Fulton county, Illinois. The fa- 
ther died in October. 1872, while the mother 
survived him until August 20, 1900. Of 
the children born to this couple three daugh- 
ters and two sons are now living, namely : 
Baldridge, a farmer of Yell township; 
Webster county, Iowa; Sarah, the wife of 
Charles Rowley, of Lehigh, Iowa ; James 
H., who married Polly Phipps and resides 
in Audubon county, Iowa; and Thomas, 
who married Margaret Bear and also lives 
in Audubon county. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Welch have been born 
eleven children, of whom seven are now liv- 
ing: William H., a farmer of Cowrie, mar- 
ried Mary Marshall ; Adam married Cath- 
erine Bybee and lives in Oklahoma ; John 
married Ellen Manchester and lives in 
Burnside township, this county ; Marion 



married Mary Manchester and lives in the 
same township; Mary Ellen, wife of Rich- 
ard Manchester, also of Burnside town- 
ship; Theodore, who married Amy Prindle 
and lives in Lehigh; and Alfred, who mar- 
ried Cleb Frey and resides in Oklahoma. 
After his marriage Mr. Welch lived on 
the home place until 1855, when he removed 
to another part of the county for a year, 
and then located in Grundy county, Mis- 
souri, where he bought one hundred and 
twenty acres of land, which he farmed for 
four years. He then disposed of his Mis- 
souri land and went to Keokuk county, 
Iowa, where he bought eighty acres of land, 
upon which he fanned for ten years. This 
property was also eventually disposed of, 
after which Mr. Welch bought his present 
farm of one hundred and twenty acres, on 
section 23, Burnside township, Webster 
county, for which he paid twelve dollars 
per acre. He has been particularly fortun- 
ate in many ways, his harvests well nigh 
approaching expectations, and his stock 
bring in fair returns. He is a Republican 
in national politics, but has never been act- 
ive as an office seeker. For the long period 
of fifty-three years he has been an ardent 
worker and supporter of the Christian 
church. 



R. T. MORTIMER. 



One of the most active business men 
of Callender is R. T. Mortimer, who has 
been engaged in the grain and stock busi- 
ness at that place for the past twenty years. 
A native of Maryland, he was born within 
two miles of the city of Washington, No- 
vember 14, 1852, and belongs to a family 
of English origin, which was founded in 
Pennsylvania at an early period in the de- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



531 



velopment of that state. His paternal 
grandfather, John Wesley Mortimer, was 
horn there, but the birth of his father, John 
Mortimer, occurred in Virginia, in 1823. 
The latter grew to manhood in the Old Do- 
minion, and for some years engaged in 
truck farming in Virginia and Maryland. 
In 1844 he was married in Maryland to 
Mrs. Caroline Frasier, who was also born 
in Virginia of Irish ancestry. Going to 
Ohio in the fall of i860, he spent the win- 
ter in Columbus, and in the spring located 
in Muskingum county, where he still con- 
tinues to reside. Since making his home 
in that state he has given his attention to 
fruit growing, making a specialty of 
peaches. His wife passed away June 20, 
1899. 

R. T. Mortimer is one of a family of 
ten children, the others heing John Wesley, 
a farmer of Dallas county, Iowa ; William 
C, who died in Ohio at the age of thirty- 
three years ; Edwin, a farmer living near 
his father in Muskingum county, Ohio; 
George, also a farmer of that county ; 
Charles, who is at home with his father; 
Caroline, who married Mathew Crawford 
and died in Dallas county, Iowa ; Laura, 
wife of Frank Little, of that county; Mollie, 
wife of Charles Untied, of Muskingum 
county, Ohio; and Maggie, wife of Will- 
iam Untied, of the same count}-. 

During his boyhood and youth our sub- 
ject attended the common schools of Mus- 
kingum county, Ohio, and remained at 
home until reaching man's estate. In the 
fall of 1 87 1 he came to Iowa and located 
in Dallas county, where he engaged in farm- 
ing two years and in herding cattle three 
years. 

There Mr. Mortimer was married, in 
the fall of 1878, to Miss Anna Belle Bart- 
lett, a native of Ohio and a daughter of 



Philip Bartlett, who was one of the early 
settlers of Dallas county. By this union 
were horn four children, hut the only son, 
Othmer, died at the age of nineteen months. 
The daughters are Anna, Luella and Ruth 
Lucile. The oldest is now successful lv en- 
gaged in teaching music. 

After his marriage Mr. Mortimer pur- 
chased a farm near Perry, Dallas county, 
and engaged in its operation until 1881, 
when he sold the place and removed to 
Callender, where he has since made his 
home. He became , the first grain and stock 
dealer to. permanently locate here, and has 
actively engaged in that business ever since, 
shipping on an average of two hundred 
thousand bushels of grain annually and 
from one hundred and five to two hundred 
carloads of stock. When he took up his 
residence here the town contained only one 
store, a blacksmith shop and a few dwell- 
ings, and in its upbuilding and develop- 
ment he has borne a prominent part. He 
assisted in organizing the Farmers' Co- 
operative Store; helped to build two busi- 
ness houses, and has erected two good resi- 
dences. 

Mr. Mortimer is a member of the 
Knights of Pythias fraternity and the 
Modern Woodmen of America, and he and 
his family were among the original mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church of 
Callender. which they assisted in establish- 
ing, hie has since been a member of its 
official board, serving as trustee during the 
entire time, a period of fifteen years, and 
as superintendent of the Sunday school. 
He has supported every presidential candi- 
date of the Republican party since casting 
his first vote for Rutherford B. Hayes. He 
has taken cjuite an active and prominent 
part in local politics, filling the offices of 
secretary of the township and justice of the 



532 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



peace for ten years. He was also a mem- 
ber of the school board several years, and 
does all in his power to advance the moral, 
intellectual and material welfare of his 
town and county. 



WILLIAM R. WEAVER. 

One of the most delightfully reminiscent 
of the early pioneers of Iowa is William R. 
Weaver, who suffered all of the deprivations 
and hardships connected with the supplant- 
ing of the Indian by the pale-face, and in 
tilling the soil hitherto pressed only by the 
fleet footed aborigines in their quest for 
game. He was born in Morris county, New 
Jersey, March 27, 1824. and his parents, who 
were also of American birth, have long since 
been gathered to their fathers. As may be 
imagined, education played but an inconse- 
quent part in his early years, for the duties 
on the parental farm were of large propor- 
tions, and there were many mouths to be fed 
from comparatively limited resources. Of 
the eight children of the family, he was the 
fourth in order of birth, the others being: 
John, the oldest, who died at the age of thir- 
teen; Benjamin, who died when twenty-four 
years old; Alfred, who married Cath- 
erine Teets and died in Washington, New 
Jersey, in 1896; Eliza, who married John 
Slack and is now deceased; Mary, who mar- 
ried Jacob Hartman and both are deceased; 
Sally, who married John Van Sickle and 
both are deceased ; and Azubah, who married 
Morris Terry and both are deceased. 

On January I, 1854, Mr. Weaver was 
united in marriage with Catherine Bell, a na- 
tive of Warren county, Xew Jersey, whose 
parents are deceased. She had the follow ing 
brothers and sisters : Lewis, of Warren 



county, is now deceased; Almond married 
Mary Shampnore and is deceased; Micajah 
is married and lives in Wisconsin ; Delilah 
married George Gook, and after his death 
married Asa Pellubet, of Sussex county, 
Xew Jersey ; Abner is deceased ; and Elias 
married Elizabeth Sutton and is now dead. 
The following children have been born to 
Mr. and Airs. Weaver: John F., born Oc- 
tober 5, 1854, married Julia Mumford and 
lives in Oklahoma with his wife and five chil- 
dren. Edgar, Edna, William, Harvev and 
Luella; and George and Augusta, twins, 
born October 9, 1859. George is unmarried 
and lives on the old farm, while Augusta 
married Alger Lewis and lives near Coop- 
ersti vvn, X< >rth Dakota. 

For a couple of years after his marriage 
Air. Weaver continued to live in Xew Ter- 
se}' and then came to Sioux Rapids, Iowa, 
in 1856, and entered a quarter section of land 
which he partially improved. He disposed of 
this land at a profit and came to live on a 
rented farm near Fort Dodge for five years. 
He then took up his present farm of one hun- 
dred acres of raw land to which he kept add- 
ing until he now has two hundred and twenty 
acres, a portion of which is heavilv timbered. 

Upon arriving in the township Air. 
Weaver found but five or six settlers al- 
ready located here and these were fifteen or 
eighteen miles apart. The red-skins on the 
Little Sioux were extremely active and en- 
tertained particular preference for the white 
man's provisions and cattle, and there were 
some lively and dangerous experiences en- 
countered while trying to protect edibles and 
cattle. At one time the Weaver cabin was 
robbed of all provisions and the owner there- 
of had three guns fired over his head. At 
one time after being raided by the Indians 
Air. Weaver was obliged to replenish his edi- 
bles at a distance of thirty miles and the 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



537 



goods were hauled all the way home over 
the prairies on a hand sled. The surround- 
ing prairies were prolific of an abundance of 
buffalo, deer, wild turkey, elk and many 
kinds i it" smaller game, so that it was possible 
to subsist for long periods without the usual 
articles found in a well regulated larder. A 
nn >st interesting evening can be spent with 
Mr. Weaver while he recapitulates his many 
trials and dangers of the early days and one 
feels more than ever the world's debt to the 
pioneer, without whom the foundation of 
American civilization would had never been 
laid. 

A Democrat in politics Mr. Weaver held 
the offices of treasurer and recorder when 
Buena Vista county was first organized and 
has since served his township in various po- 
litical capacities. He is one of the most sub- 
stantial men who has ever assisted in the de- 
velopment of Webster county, his accom- 
plishment, his character and public services 
being alike unquestioned. 



ELIAS XELSOX. 

Elias Xelson, one of the representative 
Norwegians of Webster county, and a suc- 
cessful farmer living on section 11, Wash- 
ington township, was burn on the farm of 
his forefathers called "Weiestad," near 
Haugesund, Stavanger Amt county. Nor- 
way, April 12, 1846, and is a son of John 
Xelson Gord and Ranvae Karinea Elisdater 
Weiestad. also natives of Norway. The 
father, who was born in 1814. and was a 
farmer and fisherman in the land of his 
ancestors, came with his wife and children 
to America in 1857. reaching Quebec. Can- 
ada, the beginning of July. The little fam- 
ily set sail from Stavanger. Norway, and 



tlie voyage took three weeks to accomplish. 
Upon arriving upon American soil the 
seekers after a competence located in La 
Salle county, Illinois, and engaged in gen- 
eral farming. In the family were the fol- 
lowing sons and daughters: Margaret, 
who died at the age of twelve in Norway; 
Elias; Bertha H.. who married Hans Han- 
sen, of Clinton count}', Iowa, and now lives 
in Gilmore City with her husband and two 
children : X. Andrew, who married Mrs. 
Engborg and lives in Day county. South 
Dakota, with her three children, John. In- 
gal and Ragna; John, who died in the fall 
of 1873 at the age of twenty-one; Carrie, 
whi 1 married P. B. Anderson, has one child, 
Bertha Kathrine. and lives in Ida county; 
and Margaret, who died in infancy. Of 
the children born by the father's second 
marriage, Inger died in 1865 at the age of 
five years; Xels J., married Margaret Mad- 
lein Vendal Christenson, and lives with his 
wife and four children, Christ. Jessie, Em- 
ma and Xettie, in Duncombe. Iowa ; and 
Engle is a carpenter and is unmarried. 

Until his eighteenth year Elias Xelson 
worked on his father's farm, but February 
2, 1865. he enlisted in the Forty-fourth 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was in the, 
army under General Thomas fi if a year. 
He was mustered out at Camp Irwin. Texas, 
and was discharged from the service at 
Springfield. Illinois, in September, 1865. 
In the meantime his parents had removed 
to Clinton county, Iowa, and with the re- 
turn of peace he naturally sought them out. 

Mr. Xelson then engaged as a farm 
hand until the time of his marriage at Earl- 
ville. Illinois, March 18, 1870. with Mar- 
tha Julia Peterson, win: was born in Nor- 
way, and had < ne child who died in in- 
fancy, while her death occurred in Decem- 
ber, 1870. On July 4, 1873. Mr. Xelson 



538 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



married Martha B. Ostrus, who was born 
in Adams township, La Salle county, Illi- 
nois August 4, 1853, a daughter of Ole 
O. and Engborg (Iverson) Ostrus. Her 
father, who was born September 23, 1826, 
died June 5, 1900, but her mother, who was 
born October 3, 1829, is still living on a 
farm near Leland, Illinois. They were 
married December 27, 1846, and emigrated 
to America in 1849. After spending three 
months in Chicago, they took a boat for 
Ottawa, Illinois, and from there proceeded 
to the Fox river settlement. In Adams 
township, La Salle county. Mr. Ostrus pur- 
chased lard and improved a farm, making 
his home thereon until his death. The 
house erected by this industrious pioneer is 
still standing, though it has since been re- 
modeled, and is now occupied by his widow. 
He hauled the logs to mill to be sawed into 
lumber for the house, split the shingles for 
the roof, and built the structure himself. 
In the Ostrus household were the follow- 
ing children: O. J., bom September 15, 
1847; ' ver ' ,)( >rn Ma y 3. 1850: Martha B., 
wife of our subject; Emma C. who was 
born August 24. 1854. and is now the wife 
of Edward Lindeback, of Ellsworth, Iowa; 
Ida J., who was born January 7, 1857, and 
is the wife of A. O. Satter, of Cylinder, 
Iowa; Josephine, who was burn May 13. 
1859, and is the wife of Jacob Sawyer, of 
Leland, Illinois; Ella, who was born March 
7. [861, and died in infancy; Isabella, who 
was born June 10, 1863, and married 
Michael Tuntland, of Leland, Illinois, 
where she died January 24, 1886; Lizzie, 
who was born March 31. 1868, and is the 
wife of Andrew Anderson, who lives near 
Leland; and Minnie, who was born Octo- 
ber 15, 1874, and died in March, 1886. 

Mr. Mid Mrs. Nelson became the par- 
ents of eight children, namelv : Clara May, 



who was born May 15, 1874, and is now 
the wife of H. O. Hansen, of Hamilton 
county, Iowa, by whom she has four chil- 
dren, Harold C, Myrtle P., Blanche E. 
and Omar Allerd; John, who was born May 
2, 1876, and died in infancy; Oliver Elias, 
born December 1. 1877; Isabella Josephine, 
born December 3, 1881 ; Anna, born De- 
cember 1, 1883; Martha Belinda, born 
April 22, 1886; Minnie, born October 13, 
1888; and Jesse Andrew, who was born 
May 30, 1892, and died January 25, 1893. 
Soon after his marriage Mr. Nelson re- 
moved to Iowa, and in the fall of 1873 lo- 
cated on section 19, Freedom township, 
Hamilton county, where he rented land for 
twelve years. He then purchased forty 
acres, which was later disposed of, and in 
1879 he bought one hundred and sixty 
acres in Cass county, but never resided 
thereon. This property was also sold, and 
in 1883 Mr. Nelson bought his present farm 
of a quarter section, in Washington town- 
ship. Webster county, upon which he settled 
two years later. This property was raw 
and unpromising, but under the watchful 
care and diligence of the owner has been de- 
veloped into one of the fine farms of the 
ci untv. He has a good house, granaries 
and barns, and modern labor saving ma- 
chinery. Mr. Nelson is progressive and 
capable, and is respected by all who know 
him. 



W. W MANCHESTER. 

From a many sided standpoint Mr. 
Manchester has been an important factor 
in the development of Burnside township. 
He was born near Philadelphia, Pennsyl- 
vania. July 20, 1832, and is of English and 
Revolutionary ancestry, his parents being 
Richard and Sarah (Smith) Manchester. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



539 



Richard Manchester was born in the 

city of his name in England, where he re- 
ceived a practical common-school educa- 
tion and served an apprenticeship as a ma- 
chinist and engineer. He subsequently 
worked at his trade in England, and con- 
tinued it in Pennsylvania, whither he re- 
moved from his native land when nineteen 
years of age. He was an expert maker of 
steam engines, and found it a practical 
source of remuneration until his removal 
to Ohio in 1836, when he bought timber 
land and settled down to general farming. 
That property he and our subject cleared 
and put under cultivation. In 1857 he 
came direct to Iowa and located on sec- 
tion 32. Dayton township, Webster county, 
the miles below Dayton, where he bought 
one hundred and sixty acres of land and 
also one hundred and sixty acres opposite 
in Boone county, near Pilot Mound. There 
he lived until his death, in October, 1865. 
His wife, who died in 1869, cherished a 
just pride in the ancestry of her family, 
who were not only loyal followers of Wash- 
ington in his effort to lift the oppression of 
the colonists, but they suffered greatly from 
a property standpoint, owing to the rav- 
ages and depredations of war. Several of 
the Smith family also served in the war 
of 1812, and the records of the family show 
that one and all were loyal to their coun- 
try, and to the interests and obligations 
of private and public life. Mrs. Man- 
chester was the mother of six children, and 
of these but three survive. Powell G. mar- 
ried Sarah Warfield and lives near Shad- 
ron, Nebraska, while Milton D. married 
Emma Little and lives in the fruit region 
of Arkansas. 

The youth of W. V. Manchester was 
not unlike that of other farm-reared boys, 
and he continued to live amid the home 



surroundings until his marriage, February 
23, 1854, with Martha J. Kindle, a native of 
Piqua, Ohio. Her parents were natives of 
Pennsylvania, and of the ten sons and 
daughters born to them but seven are now 
living: James, a resident of Texas; Will- 
iam, who died in Ohio ; David ; John E., of 
Ogle county, Illinois; Baxter; Alexander, 
of Ohio; and Samuel. Four sons and four 
daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Manchester, namely : Richard V. mar- 
ried Ellen Welch and lives in section 23. 
Burnside township; Walter S. married 
Minnie Rufer and lives on section 8, the 
same township; Elvira J., wife of John 
Welch, who lives on section 27; Bertha M., 
wife of E. M. Townsend, of Minnesota ; 
J. E., who married Otelia Carlstrom and 
was engaged in the hardware business in 
Burnside, Iowa, for a time, but is now liv- 
ing in the state of Washington ; Frank, who 
is still under the parental roof ; May, who 
is teaching in the home district ; and Jessie 
G., who is also at home. 

After his marriage Mr. Manchester op- 
erated the home farm in Ohio, and the sec- 
ond year rented another farm, upon which 
he lived until removing to Iowa in 1855. 
Here also he rented a farm for a year, and 
then worked in Greene county for a year. 
after which he moved to Webster county 
and purchased eighty acres, which he 
worked in connection with rented land. 
With the need of his services in demand by 
the exigencies of the Civil war, he left his 
farm to be operated by other hands, and 
January 5, [864, enlisted in Company D. 
Thirty-second Volunteer Infantry, under 
Captain Theodore De Tar, Colonel Scott 
and General A. J. Smith. He joined the 
company at Memphis. Tennessee, then 
moved up the Red river, and the first bat- 
tle in which he took part was the one which 



54Q 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



led to the capture of Fort Derussy. This 
was followed by the battle of Pleasant Hill, 
in which Mr. Manchester did not engage 
owing to a severe illness. His next ex- 
perience was at Yellow Bayou, an all-day 
engagement, then Tupelo, Mississippi, after 
which the regiment crossed the state of 
'Missouri and back in an effort to capture 
Price while on his raid. After this chase 
they returned to St. Louis and embarked 
for Nashville, and after driving Hood 
across the state to the Tennessee river, 
again embarked in boats for Eastport, Mis- 
sissippi, the winter quarters of the regiment. 
After a lest of a few weeks they again) set 
out as soon as boats could be secured for 
New Orleans. At that time Mr. Man- 
chester was in the commissary department, 
and upon arriving at Montgomery he was 
transferred to the Eighth Iowa Veterans, 
and did provost guard duty for several 
days. He was then honored with the po- 
sitinn of company commissary, which he 
held until he was mustered out of the 
service. 

After his discharge from the army, 
April 21, 1866, Mr. Manchester resumed 
farming, although his home coming was a 
sad one, for while doing his duty to his 
country the parents who, by precept and 
example, had endeared themselves to their 
children, had died, and the old order of 
things was no more. In 1873 he sold his 
farm and bought the one hundred and sixty 
acres upon which he now lives, and where 
he is engaged in farming and stock-raising. 
After the war he learned to be a practical 
plasterer, and devoted some time to that 
trade. 

In connection with the enterprise which 
he has manifested in his home surround- 
ings Mr. Manchester has been prominentl) 
before the public as a promoter of general 



improvement, and has been particularly ac- 
tive in the affairs of the Republican party. 
Among the important responsibilities satis- 
factorily disposed of by him may be men- 
tioned that of justice of the peace, township 
clerk, school director and county super- 
visor, the last named office being assumed 
in 1893 for three years. At present he is 
president of the school board, and has been 
school treasurer since 1881. He is also 
chairman of the township Republican com- 
mittee. He is a stockholder in the First 
National Bank at Lehigh and in the cream- 
ery at Burnside. 



HENRY FALLON. 



A man of prominence in the history of 
Webster county, Iowa, and one whose life 
has been an example of energy and perse- 
verance, was Henry Fallon, who first opened 
his eyes to the light of day in Ireland, his 
birth having occurred in County Antrim on 
the 22d of July, 1833. His parents, Charles 
and Mary Ann Fallon, were also natives of 
the Emerald Isle, but left the fatherland for 
America in 1833, locating in Clinton county, 
New York, where they resided for a number 
of years engaged in farming. They then re- 
moved to Webster county, Iowa, in 1868, 
where the father spent the remainder of his 
life, passing away at the age of seventy-eight 
years. His wife died at the age of fifty- 
five years. This worthy couple became the 
parents of eleven children, nine of whom 
grew to maturity and the following are still 
living: Samuel, a farmer of Douglas town- 
ship; Mrs. Elizabeth Casavan of Sac City. 
Iowa; Thomas J., of Chicago; Jerry M., of 
Clay county, Iowa; Maggie, of Sac City; 
and Mrs. Mary Dessinger, of Douglas town- 
ship. 




HENRY FALLON 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



543 



Henry Fallon, whose name introduces 
this review, grew to manhood in the Em- 
pire state where he received his early educa- 
tion. His opportunities for a thorough 
sch » 'ling were limited hnt he made the most 
of his advantages and laid the foundation of 
his future career. In 1864 he removed to 
Webster county, Iowa, and after living upon 
a rented farm for two years, purchased a 
large tract of land in Douglas township, a 
portion of which is where his family now re- 
sides. It comprised four hundred and eighty 
acres of valuable land. The greater part of 
his life was spent in the care and cultivation 
of this land, which now stands as a monu- 
ment to his unceasing energy and persever- 
ance. From the highly cultivated fields and 
the rich pasture lands to the substantial res- 
idence and well filled barns, the master hand 
of the owner was plainly visible, for thrift 
and neatness, as well as energetic purpose, 
were strong elements in the nature of Mr. 
Fallon. He carried on general farming and 
engaged largely in cattle raising in which he 
met with signal success. At the time of his 
death Mr. Fallon was the owner of five hun- 
dred and twenty acres of land which he had 
acquired through years of indefatigable la- 
bor. During the Civil war Mr. Fallon took 
tip arms to aid in the preservation of the 
Union, enlisting in Company I, Twelfth 
Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in 1865, and at 
the close of hostilities was honorably dis- 
charged, returning to the peaceful duties of 
his farm. 

'While living in the state of Xew York 
Henry Fallon met and won fur his wife. 
Miss Margaret Dalton, a native of Ireland, 
who was born November 9. 1835, a daughter 
of James and Rose Dalton, both of whom 
passed away in the old country. Unto Mr. 
and Mrs. Fallon were born nine children, as 
follows: Mrs. Julia Fryer, of Cummings, 



Iowa; Minnie, living at Fort Dodge, Iowa; 
Guilford, also at Fori Dodge; Mrs. Maggie 
Marsh, a resident of Carroll, Iowa; James, 
who resides in Fort Dodge; Mrs. Bell 
Wamsley, of Jersey City. Xew Jersey; Mrs. 
Alice Burns, a resident of Chicago, Illinois; 
David, living at Fort Dodge; and Thomas, 
who resides at home. Mrs. Fallon has also 
reared one grandchild, Harry Fryer, who is 
now living with her. Nineteen grandchil- 
dren and one great-grandchild are the de- 
scendants of this worthy couple, and 
throughout Wehster count}' the family is 
held in high regard. Mrs. Fallon, with 
three of her sons, is now living on the old 
homestead, which is one of the most attrac- 
tive farms in Webster county. 

In politics Mr. Fallon was an advocate of 
Democratic principles and actively supported 
the men and measures of his party. He held 
the office of road supervisor and also that of 
treasurer of the school board and always 
performed his duties with promptness and fi- 
delity. He was a consistent member of the 
Catholic church, and the members of his 
family are still identified with that religious 
organization. He also held membership in 
the Legion of Honor. After years of honor- 
able toil and unwavering fidelity to the prin- 
ciples which controlled his life and brought 
to him the success he so well merited, Mr. 
Fallon was called to his final rest, passing 
away at his residence in Douglas township 
January 21, 1901, after several years of suf- 
fering, as he never was in very good health 
after he returned from the arm)'. His wife, 
who had patiently labored at his side during 
the years of hardship and toil, and who- was 
always a faithful and loving companion, and 
his devoted children, are left to mourn his 
1' iss, while the memory of his true worth and 
high integrity still lives in the hearts of the 
citizens of Webster county. In every walk 



544 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of life, whether that of business or society, 
he ever stood firmly by his convictions and 
upheld the principles in which he believed. 
As an early settler of Webster county he 
suffered many hardships and privations in- 
cident to the life on the plains in those early 
days. 



SILAS COREY. 



When the history of Webster county is 
fully written it will be found that the name 
of Silas Corey figures conspicuously on its 
pages, for through forty years he has con- 
tributed to the material development and 
improvement of this portion of the state. 
His memory forms a connecting link be- 
tween the pioneer past and the progressive 
present and his acts have been of that char- 
acter that, promoting individual success, 
have also contributed in large measure to 
public progress and prosperity. His strong- 
character, forceful personality and un- 
daunted enterprise have dominated many 
movements leading to substantial impn we- 
ment, and in the evening of life he may 
well rest from his labors, in the serene en- 
joyment of having wrought along the lines 
of general good. 

Mr. Corey is a native of Rush county, 
Indiana, his birth having occurred on the 
23d of April, 1824, his parents being Rey- 
nolds and Elsie (Soules) Corey, both of 
whom were natives of Oneida county, New 
York, and representatives of old New Eng- 
land families. At an early day in the de- 
velopment of Indiana they removed to that 
state, the year of their emigration being 
about 1S1S. The father died in Indiana at 
the age of sixty-three years, and the mother 
passed away in Galena, Illinois, in 1844. 
In their family were thirteen children, but 
Mr. Corey is the only son living:. He has 



one sister living, Diana, who married Will- 
iam Pox and is now living at Blair, Ne- 
braska. All were reared, married and had 
families of their own. 

In the state of his nativity Mr. Corey 
siient the days of his boyhood and youth, 
pursuing his education after the primitive 
manner of the times in a frontier region, as 
he expressed it, "for three months a year on 
the flat side of a slab." Though his school 
privileges were limited he was anxious to 
advance mentally and would often walk two 
1 r three miles to borrow a book. He 
eagerly read anything be could secure and 
throughout bis entire life has been a great 
reader, thus continually broadening his 
mind and adding to his knowledge. For 
three years he served an apprenticeship to 
the millwright's trade, which he followed to 
some exient in Indiana, but gave the greater 
part of his attention to carpentering. 

In 1844 Mr. Corey left the Hoosier state 
and went to Rockford, Illinois, where he 
engaged in contracting and building until 
1848. At that time Rockford was consid- 
ered a far western town. In 1849 ne took 
up his abode in Galena. Illinois, and engaged 
in contracting and building in Jo Daviess 
county, working at his chosen vocation in 
that part of the state for sixteen years. It 
was in the fall of 1862 that he came to Iowa, 
locating at Fort Dodge. He engaged in 
farming on Holiday creek in Pleasant Val- 
ley township, where he secured a tract of 
land, of which only thirty acres were under 
cultivation. It was ninety miles straight 
north to the nearest neighbor and the wild 
condition of the country was manifest on 
every side, showing that Iowa was then a 
"far west" region. Mr. Corey also pur- 
chased and began the operation of a coal 
mine on Holiday creek — the first mine that 
was worked permanently in the county, Mr. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



545 



( orej continuing to take out the mineral 
until the supply was exhausted. Subse- 
quently he purchased coal lauds in Lehigh 
and at present owns the mines at that place 
operated by his son. He gave his personal 
supervision to the working of these mines 
until 1890 and success attended his efforts. 
His son has a dry -pressed brick plant there 
and the business at that point is carried on 
under the name of the Corey Coal and Dry 
Pressed Brick Company. In 1893 Mr. 
Corey began making investments in real 
estate at Fort Dodge. Pie built the resi- 
dence in which he is now living, and he has 
since purchased or erected thirteen brick 
houses and also owns several wooden dwell- 
ings, lie has also owned several farms in 
the county. His realty investments have 
been judiciously made and return to him 
a good income. 

On the 28th of September, 1843, Mr. 
Corey was united in marriage to Miss 
Louisa A. Bratt, in South Bend, Indiana. 
She was born in Canadaigua county. New 
York, and is descended from old Xew Eng- 
land families, who early took up their abode 
in Ontario county. Xew York. When she 
was about ten years of age her parents re- 
moved to Ohio, settling fourteen miles west 
of Cleveland. When she was fourteen years 
of age the family went to Indiana, and 
there the parents spent their remaining days, 
and when death claimed them they were laid 
to rest in South Bend, Indiana. Mrs. Corey 
was born December 4, 1820, and to her hus- 
band has been a faithful companion and help- 
mate 011 the journey of life. Eleven children 
were born to them: Silas \\'.. who is en- 
gaged in the coal business in Fort Dodge; 
Henry A., a merchant and miller of Lehigh; 
Kate, who married William II. Mc Anally, 
of Lehigh ; Elsie, the wife of C. E. Ewing, 
of Lehigh ; George W., of Pueblo, Colorado ; 



Ella, the wife of S. D. Connelly, of Le- 
high; Frank, a coal operator .at Lehigh; 
C. F., a druggist of Fort Dodge; Lillie, who 
died at the age of five years; Willie, at the 
age of eleven months; and Sarah Ann, who 
passed away when three years of age. 

Mr. Corey lia> always been deeply in- 
terested in politics and formerly took an 
active part in political work. In early life be 
endorsed the principles of the Whig party 
and was a stanch Abolitionist. When the 
Republican party was formed to prevent the 
further extension, of slavery be joined its 
ranks and has since remained one of its 
stalwart supporters. His first presidential 
vote was cast for William Henry Harrison. 
In 1874 he served as a member of the Fif- 
teenth General Assembly of Iowa, and has 
filled a number of local offices. He was a 
member of the first Sons of Temperance 
society organized in Rockford and has ever 
adhered to the principles which he then 
espoused. He is a spiritualist in religious 
faith and through seven years has never 
missed a circle. Mr. Corey ranks among the 
most respected and honored citizens of V\ eb- 
ster county. He owes his success in life 
entirely to his own efforts, for he started 
upon bis business career without capital or 
assistance at the age of thirteen years. All 
that be possesses has been acquired through 
industry, perseverance and honorable busi- 
ness methods, and it is, therefore, meet that 
in his declining years he should enjoy a 
happy rest from labor. 



W. T. MARSH. 

William T. Marsh, whose finely im- 
proved farm in Burnside township displays 
many evidences of untiring industry and 
practical knowledge of farming and stock- 



546 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



raising, was born in Webster county, Iowa, 
September 29, 1858, and has always lived 
in his native township. His perseverance 
was put to practically an early test, for the 
only education available was that dispensed 
at a little log school house four miles from 
the parental home, and this walk, under- 
taken in the cold of winter and all kinds of 
roads, seems almost incredible to the pres- 
ent-day youth of either the country or city. 
Until his twenty-first year he remained on 
the home farm and faithfully performed his 
share toward the management of the estate, 
after which he engaged for two years in the 
meat business in Kalo and Lehigh. 

On October 31. 1885. Air. Marsh mar- 
ried Miss Mamie Cram, who was born in 
Ogle county, Illinois, December 9, 18G6, and 
moved with her parents to Mahaska county. 
Iowa, January 15, 1867. In December, 
1868, they came in a covered wagon to Web- 
ster county, where the parents at present re- 
side on section 9, Burnside township. Mrs. 
Marsh has two sisters, Mrs. Anna Heal, who 
has two children and lives on section 9, 
Burnside township ; and Mrs. Nettie Bow- 
ers, who lives in Otho township. Two chil- 
dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Marsh: 
Nellie, born May 31, 1888; and Grace, born 
November 2. 1S90. 

The original purchase of Mr. Marsh in 
Burnside township was two hundred and 
forty acres of land, but he has since sold 
eighty acres, leaving one hundred and sixty 
acres upon which he now lives. His farm 
is one of the finest in the township, and 
there are over twelve hundred rods of tiling 
for drainage, besides all modern improve- 
ments and labor-saving machinery. Mr. 
Marsh is engaged in raising cattle and hogs 
on a large scale, and ships his stock in car- 
load lots. He is one of the most energetic 
and progressive men in the township, and 



well abreast of the times on all matters per- 
taining to his chosen work and to current 
events in general. His interests are by no 
means limited to his farm, for he is one of 
the stockholders in the First National Bank 
of Lehigh, and may be counted on to fur- 
ther any progressive movement for the up- 
building of the community. A stanch Re- 
publican, he has been honored with numer- 
ous township offices, and has invariably 
discharged his obligations to liis party in a 
most satisfactory manner and with due re- 
gard for the best interests of his fellow 
t< iwnsrnen. He is a member of the Christian 
church, as is also his wife. 



DAVID M. DANIELS. 

Examples of great energy, strict integ- 
rity and financial success may be met with in 
every portion of Webster county. Notable 
among these is the life of the late David M. 
Daniels, who was long and honorably asso- 
ciated with the agricultural development of 
Washington township and occupied a valua- 
ble homestead on section 20. A man of de- 
cided ability he was generally conceded to 
rank among the first agriculturits of his dis- 
trict. Indicative of his success is the fact 
that although he started in life without 
means he accumulated a valuable property 
and at the time of his death owned nearly 
seven hundred acres of Webster county land. 

The founder of the Daniels family in 
Webster county was Abram Daniels, a man 
possessing all the sturdy traits of character 
which pioneer life render necessary. Con- 
cerning his record mention is elsewhere 
made. David M. Daniels, son of Abram Dan- 
iels, was born in Crawford county, Penn- 
sylvania, October 18, 1833, and in early life 















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DAVID M. DANIELS 




MRS. D. M. DANIELS 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



5Si 



settled in Illinois. A few years after his 
marriage he removed to Iowa and was after- 
ward identified with the agricultural devel- 
opment of Webster county. While living in 
Illinois he married Sarah Clark, who was 
born in Tioga county. Xew York. May i. 
[837, a daughter of Joel and Betsey (Hill) 
Clark, natives respectively of Xew York and 
Xew Hampshire. Mr. and Mrs. Clark 
were married in Xew Y< irk and remained 
there until 1842, he meantime farming, also 
working in the timber and rafting lumber 
down the rivers. During 1842 they settled 
ir Bureau county. Illinois, where they re- 
mained eleven or more years, in the mean- 
time cultivating their farm. Coming still 
further west they settled in Webster town- 
ship, Webster county. Iowa, in 185,4, and 
here the mother died in June. 1859. Re- 
moving to Homer. Iowa, in 1865,'Mr. Clark 
remained there for a time and then estab- 
lished his home in Burnside, Webster county, 
where he died in March. 1888. Two years 
after the death of his first wife he married 
Lovina Meade. 

When the Civil war began the sympa- 
thies of Joel Clark were at once aroused in 
behalf of the Union. He was opposed to 
slavery and to the establishment of the Con- 
federacv. On January 25, 1862, he enlisted 
in Company D, Sixteenth Iowa Infantry, 
and soon went to the front, but on account 
of illness was honorably discharged and re- 
turned home in 1863. Throughout all his 
active life he voted with the Republicans. 
Al» ut 1859 he served as deputy sheriff of 
AYebster county and at different times he 
held all of the township offices. Fur years 
before his death he was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church, and in its faith 
he passed from earth in March. 1888. Since 
then his widow has removed to Xebraska. 

To the marriage of Joel Clark and Bet- 



sey Hill seven children were born, namely: 
Mary Jane, Mrs. John Crumby. of Grundy 
county: Sarah. Mrs. Daniels; Euretta. wife 
of Harvey Brooks, of Boone county. Iowa; 
Eugenia. ( t\\ in sifter of Euretta ). who mar- 
ried T. McNealy and lives in Duncombe, 
Iowa: Hannah. Mrs. William Gardner, of 
Fayette county, this state; Trypossie, Mrs. 
Samuel Scoville, of Border Plains: and El- 
tha, wife of Emory Ford, a resident of Dun- 
combe. By his marriage to Lovina Meade, 
Joel Clark had five children, namely : Willis, 
who died in Boone county, Iowa: Carrie, 
who died unmarried at Burnside, Iowa: 
Boyd, of Ames, this state: Effie, who died in 
childhood; and Cora, who married John 
Nuby and lives in Arkansas. The founder 
of die Clark family in America came from 
England, while through his maternal ances- 
tors Joel Clark traced his lineage to Germany 
and also to Scotch-Irish stock. His father 
was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. The 
mother of Mrs. Daniels made her In une in 
Illinois during the stirring events connected 
with the war of 181 2. 

Of the children born to the union of 
David M. Daniels and Sarah Clark three 
died in infancy. The oldest -on. Lawrence, 
who was born in Illinois June 21, 1853. died 
November 3. [895; hi- first wife was Belle 
Ellis, and after her death he married Hattie 
Gaff, by whom he had four children, and 
who is now living in Saugache, Colorado. 
The second son. Joel, was horn in Iowa Jan- 
uary 28, 1835. and married Elizabeth 
Blanchard. by whom he has three children, 
Robert. Grace and D. M. He makes his 
home in Washington township. The oldesl 
daughter. Stella, was born in Webster county 
March 13. 1838. and became the wife of 
Wilson Sorber. They and their five children 
live at Salem. Oregon. The fourth member 
of the family circle was Emmet, born in 



552 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Webster county July 15, i860, and now re- 
sides near Gilmore City, Pocahontas county, 
this state ; he married Ida Hayes and has six 
children. Cynthia, bom July 22, 1865, mar- 
ried John Porter, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, and 
has five children. Betsy, born September 28, 
1867, married Delbert Daniels, of Dixon 
county, Iowa, and they have four children, 
David, born September 23, 1869, and now- 
living in Washington township, married 
I\lar_\- Isham. by whom he has four children. 
Edgar, born September 16, 1S71, married 
Minnie Flowers and they and their three chil- 
dren live in Washington township. Frank, 
born June 15, 1873. * s a fanner of Washing- 
ton township; he and his wife, formerly Es- 
ther Hollis, have four children. Hartley, 
born September 17, 1878, married Xellie 
Crouse and they and their child reside in 
Washington township. Earl, who is the 
youngest of the large family, was born Jan- 
uary 17, 1882, and makes his home with his 
mother on the old homestead in Washington 
township. 



DAXIEL HILL. 



Among the sturdy, energetic and suc- 
cessful farmers of Roland township who 
th' iroughly understand their chosen vocation 
and are consequently enabled to carry on 
their calling with profit to themselves, is the 
subject of this sketch, whose home is on sec- 
tion 7. He was born in Durham township, 
Oxford county, Canada, April 7, 1844, a son 
of C. G. Hill, who was born in Vermont 
in 1805, and was only five years old when 
taken into Canada by his father, William 
Hill, also a native of the Green Mountain 
state. The family were among the early 
settlers of the county of Oxford, where they 
and their relatives formed a large Vermont 



settlement. Our subject's grandfather 
opened up a farm near Ingersoll, and there 
C. G. Hill grew to manhood. In early life 
he was employed on public works, and later 
engaged in farming in Xew York state. 
While there he met and married Miss Mary 
Rowley, who was born in Xew Hampshire, 
but was reared in Chautauqua county, Xew 
Y< irk. They made their home in Oxford, 
Canada, where Mr. Hill purchased a farm 
and engaged in agricultural pursuits 
throughout the remainder of his active busi- 
ness life. He died there in 1898, at the ad- 
vanced age of ninety-three years. 

In the county of his nativity Daniel Hill 
passed his boyhood and youth, and was 
given a good common-school education, 
which has been of much practical benefit to 
him in later years. Coining to- the United 
States in 1865, he spent the first winter in 
Wisconsin, and then removed to Fort Dodge, 
Iowa, arriving here in the spring of 1866. 
For several years he worked at anything 
which he could find to do in that vicinity, 
but at length rented land and turned his at- 
tention to farming. In 1884 he purchased 
a tract of wild prairie land in Roland town- 
ship, which he began to break and improve 
the following year, and in 1886 he took up 
his residence thereon. He has since en- 
gaged in its operation and now has a well- 
improved and highly cultivated farm of sev- 
enty-four acres. 

In 1867, in Webster county, Mr. Hill 
was united in marriage with Miss Rachel 
Casterline, a native of Decatur county, Iowa. 
Her father, B. M. V. Casterline, came from 
Xew Yi >rk to Iowa in pioneer days and first 
located in Decatur county, where he opened 
up a farm, but in 1856 removed to Webster 
county. Mr. and Mrs. Hill had eight chil- 
dren : C. G, who is now engaged in the 
livery business in Polk county, Xebraska; 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



553 



Mary, wife of V. C. Head, of Farnham- 
ville, Iowa; B. M. V., who is engaged in the 
livery business with his brother in Polk 
county, Nebraska ; Frederick, a resident of 
Farnhamville, Iowa ; Elizabeth R., wife of 
C. A. Hughart, of Webster county; Frank 
F.. a resident of Osceola county, Iowa; 
Esther, \\h<< became the wife of Frank Arm- 
strong, if Fort Dodge, but is now deceased, 
passing away January 12, 1902; and Har- 
riet, who is now attending Tobin College, 
Fort Dodge, and resides at home. 

Mr. Hill was formerly identified with 
the Republican party and cast his first presi- 
dential 'oa Hot for General U. S. Grant, but 
11. w votes the Prohibition ticket, being a 
strong temperance man. He has efficiently 
served as a member of the school board but. 
has never cared for political office. In re- 
ligious faith he is a Cougregationalist, while 
his wife is a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal church, and as earnest, consistent 
Christians they take an active part in all 
church work. Mr. Hill being one of the ofh- 
cers of his church and one of its organizers. 
He has made many warm friends during the 
thirty-five years of his residence in this 
community, and is held in high regard by- 
all who know him. 



WILLI AM B. CRAXDALL. 

William B. Crandall, a well-known re- 
tired farmer of Callender, Iowa, has demon- 
strated the true meaning of the word suc- 
cess as the full accomplishment of an hon- 
orable purpose. Energy, close application, 
perseverance and good management — these 
were the elements which entered into his 
business career and crowned his efforts with 
prosperity. 



Mr. Crandall was born in Madison coun- 
ty, Xew York, December 2, 1832, a son of 
James and. Dorcas (Witter) Crandall, both 
natives of Rhode Island, his ancestors being 
early settlers of that state and of English 
origin. His paternal grandfather was 
James Crandall, Sr., and his maternal Sam- 
uel Witter, one of the pioneers of Madison 
county, Xew York. When a voting man the 
father 1 f our subject took up his residence 
in that county, and there he was married and 
continued to make his home throughout the 
remainder of his life, his time and energies 
being devoted to farming. He died in 1832, 
and his wife, who long survived him, reared 
their family, consisting of three sons, of 
whom our subject is the youngest. Samuel, 
the oldest, is now a resident of Evanston, 
Webster county. Iowa. Noyes F. laid down 
his life in defense of his country during the 
war of the Rebellion, He was a member of 
a Yew York cavalry regiment, and was 
killed in the Shenandoah valley. 

Reared in his native county, William B. 
Crandall acquired his education in its com- 
mon schools, but his advantages along that 
line were rather meager. There he was mar- 
ried on the 7th of March, 1853, the ho 1 \ 1 1 
his choice being Miss Lucina Porter, a na- 
tive of Oneida county, Xew York, though 
they became acquainted in Madison county, 
where she was then living. Her father, San- 
ford Porter, was also a native of the Empire 
state. 

Up to the time of the Civil war Mr. 
Crandall was engaged in farming in Madi- 
son county, Xew York, but, feeling that his 
country needed his services, he laid aside all 
personal interests and in 1862 enlisted for 
nine months in Company A, One Hundred 
and Seventy-sixth Xew York Volunteer In- 
fantry, as a private. His regiment was or- 
dered south to Louisiana and assigned to 



554 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



General Bank's army. Mr. Crandall was 
mostly engaged in picket duty along the 
railroads. During a skirmish at Brashear 
City he was taken prisoner, but was soon 
afterward paroled and sent to the Union 
lines. He spent some time on Ship Island 
as a par 'led prisoner, and then rejoined his 
regiment at Bonnet Carre, Louisiana, where 
he remained until the expiration of his term 
of enlistment and then returned to Xew 
York, being honorably discharged from the 
service in November, 1863. 

In the following March Mr. Crandall 
and his family removed from their old home 
in Madison county, Xew York, to Webster 
county. Iowa, where his wife's parents -had 
previously located. For one year he rented 
land and engaged in farming near Border 
Plains, and then purchased eighty acres of 
prairie land and forty acres along the river, 
this being the first property he ever owned. 
He soon a inverted the wild tracts into well- 
tilled fields, and erected thereon good and 
substantial buildings. After operating that 
farm for about six years, Mr. Crandall was 
appointed overseer of the poor farm, and ac- 
ceptably filled that position for some years. 
in the meantime selling his own farm. Sub- 
sequently he bought a tract of land in Cal- 
houn county, consisting of two hundred and 
thirty-four acres, on which he located in the 
spring of 1884. Later he was engaged in the 
hotel business in Lehigh for a year, but at 
the end of that time he resumed farming, 
and continued to carry on his farm until 
March, 1901, when he sold the place and 
bought residence property in Callender, 
where he now makes his home, having laid 
aside all business cares. 

Of the seven children born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Crandall only three are now living, 
namely : Henry Dwight, a farmer of Web- 
ster county, is married and has three daugh- 



ters, Dora L., Daisy and Lyle. William Ar- 
thur makes his home in St. Joseph, Mis- 
souri. Albert L. is a farmer of Calhoun 
county, Iowa. Of the deceased. Charles 
Lewis died at the age of six years ; Edward 
E. at the age of three years ; John Alfred at 
lour weeks; and one unnamed died in in- 
fancy. 

Mr. Crandall cast his first presidential 
vote for James Buchanan in 1856, but four 
years later supported Abraham Lincoln for 
the same office, and has since affiliated with 
the Republican party, taking quite an active 
and influential part in local politics. For 
three years he was a prominent member of 
the county board of supervisors, and previ- 
ously filled the office of township trustee. 
He was also an efficient member of the 
school board several years, and his official 
duties were always most faithfully and satis- 
factorily performed. He and his wife were 
reared in the Seventh Day Baptist church, 
but are not now connected with any church 
organization. They receive and merit the 
respect and esteem of all who know them, 
and have a large circle of friends and ac- 
quaintances who appreciate their sterling 
worth and many excellencies of character. 



MRS. ELLA WOODARD. 

That agricultural knowledge is by no 
means monopolized by men is demonstrated 
by the superior management of Mrs. Ella 
Woodard, whose well-equipped farm on sec- 
tion 4, Burnside township, is worthy the 
enterprise and well-directed energy of the 
owner. A native of Vermont, she was born 
May 27, 1845, an d is of American parent- 
age. Her father died in Iowa in 1887, while 
the mother lived until 1895. In the family 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



555 



besides Mrs. Woodard, who was formerly 
Ella Irish, were two sons and five daughters, 
namely: Mrs. Homer Benson, of Jasper 
county. Iowa; Mrs. M. C. Holversen, of 
Forest City, Iowa; George B., of Wesley, 
Iowa, who married Sadie Weeks; Harry, 
also a resident of Forest City, who married 
Alice Price; Mrs. Arthur White, who died 
at Wesley in 1S98; Callie. the wife of 
Gifford Rogers, of Jasper county, Iowa; and 
Cora, the wife of Jacob Faircloth, of Jasper 
county. 

Mrs. Woodard was educated in the pub- 
lic schools and reared on her father's farm. 
On June 10, 1862, she married John Wood- 
ard. who was born August 5, 1821, in 
Maine, of American parentage and agri- 
cultural ancestors. Mr. Woodard had seven 
sisters and one brother, namely : Mrs. Sarah 
Ames, who died in Minnesota ; Mrs. Elvira 
Whiting, who died in Illinois; Mrs. Jane 
Weston, who died in Maine; Mrs. Lucinda 
Florida, who died in Illinois; Miss Olive 
Woodard, who lives in Illinois; Mrs. Lydia 
Slate, who died in Minnesota ; Mrs. Mary 
George, who died in Minnesota; and Mrs. 
Catherine Florida, now living in Minnesota. 

The life of Mr. Woodard was an active 
and interesting one, and his ambitious na- 
ture led him into various fields of activity. 
He was essentially a roamer, and his nature 
was attuned to the adventurous side of ex- 
istence. In his youth he worked among the 
pineries and became a carpenter, and in 185 1 
went to California, hoping much from the 
glowing accounts of readily-gotten gold 
which penetrated the limitations of his iso- 
lated northern home. For twelve years he 
tempted fortune with pick and ax, with 
fairly successful results, after which he re- 
turned to Minnesota, whither he had pre- 
viously removed with his parents, and mar- 
ried. After settling- in Rockford he worked 



at the carpenter trade and was also a mill- 
wright, and came from there to Iowa in the 
spring of 1870. In 1869 he purchased the 
farm upon which his widow now lives, but 
after locating on the farm he returned to 
the fascinations of mining in the Black Hills 
of South Dakota. He was a member of the 
company which was developing the mines, 
and he continued to trust in their output and 
to give his time to the best interests of the 
company for three or four years, when he 
wisely disposed of his shares and returned 
to his farm in Iowa, where his death oc- 
curred November 6, 1888. He was one of 
the first of the California miners to adopt 
the method of hydraulic mining, and his 
company built a bridge over the Yuba river 
which is still standing. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Woodard were born four children: Bell 
Van Winkle, of Dayton, Iowa; Fern Lun- 
dien, of Dayton ; Beatrice Smith, of Ouincy, 
Michigan; and Olive J., living on the home 
farm. 

Mrs. Woodard has a large responsibility 
and engaged in large enterprises on her 
farm of two hundred and fourteen acres. 
The property is well improved, and the 
thrift and enterprise of the manager is every- 
where apparent. Mrs. Woodard is a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, and 
contributes generously towards its support, 
as well as towards general philanthropic un- 
dertakings of her vicinity. 



MARTIN STEGNER. 

This well-known and successful vet- 
erinary surgeon of Fort Dodge was born in 
Wurtemberg, Germany, November 11, 1828, 
and is a son of David Stegner, who, to- 
o-ether with his five sons, was also a vet- 



556 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



erinary surgeon. Our subject acquired his 
literary education in the public schools of 
Wurtemberg and also attended a veterinary 
school. At the age of twenty-one he en- 
tered the German army and served as a 
sharpshooter for five years. 

In 1854 Mr. Stegner sailed for the new 
world in company with a brother, who died 
while at sea. On landing in this country our 
subject proceeded to Cincinnati, Ohio, 
where he spent ten years as a veterinary sur- 
geon, and then removed to Miami county, 
Indiana, where he made his home until com- 
ing to Fort Dodge in 1869, but after spend- 
ing one summer here he returned to Indi- 
ana, and did not locate permanently in this 
city until 1875. Here he has since followed 
his chosen profession with marked success, 
and is considered one of the best veterinary 
surgeons of the count)', sixty years of his 
life having been devoted to practice. 

Mr. Stegner was married, February 1, 
1859. to Miss Margaret Yoars, who was 
born in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 18, 
1841. of German parentage. Her father, 
George Yoars, was a farmer by occupation. 
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stegner have been born 
the following children : Frederick, born 
May 27, i860, is a resident of Mason City, 
Iowa; George, born January 26, 1863, died 
March 27, 1887; Julia E., born September 
10, 1865, Mary A., born December 8, 1867, 
and Mollie, born January 30, 1871, are all 
three employed in a candy factory and re- 
side at home ; Flora E., born February 20, 
1874. is the wife of H. O. Schaeft'er, a bar- 
ber of Fort Dodge; Grace, born September 
3, 1877, died August 28, 1878; and Frank, 
born May 2, 1880, died July 28, 1881. The 
two older buys were born in Ohio and the 
girls were born in Indiana. The family hold 
membership in Corpus Christi church, and 
Mr. Sterner is also a member of the Inde- 



pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He is 
widely and favorably known throughout his 
adopted county, and has man}- warm friends 
in and around Fort Dodsre. 



FREDERICK A. KRUCKMAN. 

The subject of this sketch operates a fine 
farm of three hundred and twenty acres in 
Cooper township and is recognized as one 
of the most skillful and thorough agricul- 
turists of his community. He was born in 
Wisconsin March 22, 1863, and is a son of 
F. W. and Eva (Bennaman) Kruckman, na- 
tives of Germany and Canada, respectively. 
Coming to Iowa in 1871 they settled in the 
northeastern part of Webster county, where 
the father successfully engaged in farming 
for some years, but is now living a retired 
life in Fort Dodge. He and his wife have 
ten children, all of whom are now living, 
namely : Mar}-. John, Charles, Clara, Fred- 
erick A., George, Lucy, Herbert, Daniel and 
Arthur. 

Frederick A. Kruckman was only eight 
years old when he came with his family to 
Iowa and grew to manhood in Webster 
county, his education being acquired in the 
Fort Dodge schools. Early in life he be- 
came thoroughly familiar with all the duties 
which fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and 
throughout his business life he has success- 
fully engaged in general farming and stock 
raising. On the 1st of March, 1901, he 
came into possession of the Strow farm, 
comprising one hundred and eighty acres, 
and its neat and thrifty appearance plainly 
indicates the careful supervision of the 
owner. In addition to this he operates his 
father's farm of three hundred and twenty 
acres. He raises corn, wheat, oats and bar- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



557 



ley, and annually feeds about one hundred 
head of cattle, making a specialty of short- 
horns, and from fifty to seventy-five head of 
Poland China hogs. 

In 1S92 Mr. Kruckman married Miss 
Josephine Wesley, a native of Washington 
county, Iowa, who died May II, 1901, at 
the age of nine years. She left two children, 
Floyd J. and Celia P. In politics Mr. Kruck- 
man is an ardent Republican and in relied' ms 
faith is a German Lutheran. He is one of 
the leading farmers of his community and 
is highly respected by all who known him. 



WILLIAM L. MITCHELL. 

William L. Mitchell is one of Webster 
county's native sons and a representative of 
one of her old highly respected families, 
whose identification with her history dates 
from an early period in the development of 
the county. He was born March 3, 1863, 
on the old homestead on section 19, Badger 
township, where he now resides. 

Patrick Mitchell, the father of our sub- 
ject, was a native of Ireland and was a 
young man when he came to the United 
States. After spending a few years in the 
south he located in La Salle county, Illinois, 
where he followed farming for some years, 
and there was united in marriage with Miss 
Ann Kennedy. In 1856 he removed to 
Webster county, Iowa, and settled on the 
farm where our subject now resides, having 
visited this county the fall previous and en- 
tered one hundred and sixty acres of govern- 
ment land. His first home here was a little 
log house, in which he lived while opening 
up his farm, but it has long since been re- 
placed by a more commodious modern resi- 
dence. He extended the boundaries of his 
farm until they contained two hundred acres 



and transformed the wild land into well- 
tilled fields, which were made to yield abund- 
ant harvests in return for the care and lal un- 
expended upon them. He continued to de- 
vote his time and energies to the cultivation 
and improvement of his farm until 1890, 
when he removed to Fort Dodge and spent 
the remainder of his life in ease and quiet. 
There he died in the fall of 1897, honored 
and respected by all who knew him. His 
\vid< >\v now makes her home with a daughter 
in Estherville, Iowa. 

Amid rural scenes William L. Mitchell 
passed the days of his boyhood and youth, 
aiding in the labors of the fields and pursuing 
his studies in the home schools. On the re- 
tirement of his father he took charge of the 
home farm and has since successfully en- 
gaged in its operation. In connection with 
general farming he carries on stock rais- 
ing quite extensively, keeping a high grade 
of stock, and in both undertakings he has 
prospered. 

On' the 25th of November. 1889. Mr. 
Mitchell was united in marriage with Miss 
Ellen Casey, who was also born, reared and 
educated in this county, and successfully en- 
gaged in teaching school prior to her mar- 
riage. She is a daughter of James Casey, 
another of the early settlers of Webster 
county. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have six 
children, namely : Florence, John, Willis, 
Helen, Harold and Monica. 

Formerly Mr. Mitchell was a Democrat 
in politics and cast his first presidential bal- 
lot for Grover Cleveland, but is now inde- 
pendent in politics, and usually votes the Re- 
publican ticket, favoring expansion and 
sound money. Reared in the Catholic faith 
he and his wife attend that church at Fort 
Dodge, and are among the most highly re- 
spected and honored citizens of their com- 
munity. 



55S 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



REV. E. ZUERRER. 

Rev. E. Zuerrer, the beloved pastor of 
St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran church, of 
Fort Dodge, Iowa, was born in Switzerland 
May 5, 185 2, and is a son of H. and Eliza 
( Schmid) Zuerrer, who spent their entire 
lives in that country. He has one brother 
and two sisters, who are still residents of 
Switzerland. His father was a judge. 

Mr. Zuerrer spent his boyhood and youth 
in the beautiful land of the Alps and attended 
the Zurich University, from which he was 
graduated in 1870. In June of the follow- 
ing year he came to America and first located 
in Olmsted county, Minnesota, where he 
taught school until 1877, when he entered 
the theological seminary at Springfield, Illi- 
nois, and graduated from that institution in 
June, 1880. 

Being ordained as a minister of the Ger- 
man Evangelical Lutheran church he took 
charge of the congregation at Paulina, Iowa. 
in August, 1880, and remained there until 
November, 1892, when he was called to St. 
Paul's church in Fort Dodge, of which he 
has since been pastor. This church was or- 
ganized in 1862 and is now in a flourishing 
condition. During the pastorate of Mr. 
Zuerrer the membership has been increased 
from six hundred to nine hundred, and he 
has greatly improved the church property, 
building a parsonage in 1893 and a parochial 
school on Third avenue, south, two years 
later. The church is located on the corner 
of Thirteenth and Fourth avenue, south. 

Mr. Zuerrer was married in 1881 to Miss 
Eliza Fienup, of Springfield, Illinois, a 
daughter of Mathias Fienup, a farmer by oc- 
cupation. They now have three children : 
Eliza, born in 1882; Ernest, in 1884; and 
Walter, in 1890. All have attended the par- 
ochial schools and are still at home with their 



parents. Ernest now holds a position in the 
Commercial Bank, of Fort Dodge. 

Mr. Zuerrer is a zealous, active and effi- 
cient worker for the church and is held in 
high esteem not only by the people of his 
own congregation but by the residents of 
Fort Dodge e'enerallv. 



CHRISTOPHER KNUDSON. 

Christopher Knudson needs no special in- 
troduction to the readers of this volume but 
the work would be incomplete without the 
record of his life. There is probably no man 
in Webster county who has been more prom- 
inently identified with her development and 
upbuilding, and he is often called the king or 
father of Badger, in which town he is now 
living a retired life. He cheerfully gives his 
support to those enterprises that tend to pub- 
lic development and has been connected with 
many interests that have promoted general 
welfare. His name is synonym for honora- 
ble business dealing and he is always men- 
tioned as one of the invaluable citizens of 
his community. 

Mr. Knudson was born near Stavanger, 
Norway, February 10, 1836, and grew to 
manhood in his native land with no school 
privileges. With the hope of bettering his 
financial condition he came to America in 
1856, and on landing at Quebec, Canada, 
proceeded by way of the Great Lakes to Illi- 
nois and located in Ottawa, La Salle county, 
where he work on a farm for several years. 
During the first winter spent in this country 
he attended a night school for ten evenings 
and there received his first instruction in 
writing. 

Feeling that his adopted country needed 
his services during the dark days of the Civil 




C. KNUDSON AND WIFE 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



563 



war he enlisted in September, [862, in Han- 
shaw's Independent Battery, No. 6. He was 
first under fire in the siege of Knoxville, and 
later took part in several skirmishes. He 
was subsequently stationed at Loudon, Ten- 
nessee, where he did guard duty for eighteen 
months. The war having ended he was then 
honorably discharged at Springfield, Illi- 
nois in June, 1865, and returned to his 
In mie in Ottawa, where he worked by the 
mi mth for about a year. 

Mr. Knudson was married at that place 
July iS, 1807, the lady of his choice being 
Miss Anna Arnet. who was also horn in Nor- 
way, and on coming to the new world at the 
age of fourteen years located in La Salle 
county, Illinois, where she grew to woman- 
hood. By this union were born seven chil- 
dren, five sons and two daughters, namely: 
Anna, now the wife of S. Oakland, a farmer 
of Badger township; Adaline, wife of 
Thomas Peterson, cashier of the Badger 
Bank; Charles, a merchant of Badger; Oli- 
ver, at home; Adolph and Alfred, twins, who 
are now operating the old home farm ; and 
Clarence, who is a student in the home 
school. 

For one year after his marriage Mr. 
Knudson was engaged in farming on rented 
land in La Salle count)-, Illinois, then bought 
a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in 
Lee county, that state, hut after residing 
there one year he sold the place in the fall of 
[868 and purchased a tract of one hundred 
and sixty acres of wild land in Badger town- 
ship. Webster county, Iowa. Here he lo- 
cated in March, 1869, and at once turned his 
attention to the improvement and cultivation 
of that tract. At that time Fort Dodge had 
no railroad and he bad to haul the lumber to 
build his house from Iowa Falls, for which 
he paid forty-five dollars per thousand. 
The house that he erected at that time 



is still standing on the old home farm 
on the southwest quarter of section 16, 
It has been remodeled and added to 
from time to lime, hut the original part 
is still there and at the time of its erec- 
tion it was considered the best house in his 
section of the county, costing Mr. Knudson 
about seven hundred dollars. The furniture 

was bought in Fort Dodge. Common w 1- 

en chairs cost one dollar each and a small 
dining room table seven dollars, and other 
furniture accordingly. As time passed he 
has steadily prospered in his fanning opera- 
tions and has increased his landed posses- 
sions fnun time to time until he now owns 
about nine hundred acres of land in Badger 
township, divided into four farms. When 
the railroad was built across his property 
he laid out and platted the town of Badger 
and is therefore the founder of that place. 
He continued to engage in farming until 
[899, when he retired from active labor and 
is now spending his declining years in ease 
and quiet in the village, surrounded by all the 
comforts and many of the luxuries of life, 
which have been acquired through his own 
energetic and well-directed labors. 

Since casting his first presidential vote 
for General Grant in [868, Mr. Knudson has 
been a stanch supporter of the Republican 
party and its principles, and has taken quite 
a prominent and influential part in local poli- 
tics. His fellow citizens recognizing his 
worth and ability, have elected him to several 
positions of honor and trust, the duties of 
which he has most faithfully discharged. He 
served three years as a member of the county 
board of supervisors, was township treasurer 
about ten years and also filled the offices of 
assessor and township clerk. He has been 
a delegate to both the county and state con- 
ventions of his party and has taken a very ac- 
tive part in public affairs. Religiously he 



564 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



is a Lutheran, to which church his wife also 
belongs. For almost a third of a century 
Mr. Knudson lias been a resident of Webstes 
county. His career affords an excellent ex- 
ample to the young in that he commenced 
life in this country without capital, but hav- 
ing a determination to succeed he industri- 
ously applied himself until he has acquired 
a handsome competence which enables him 
td spend his declining years in retirement 
from active labor. He is well km wn 
throughout the county as a man of sterling 
worth, and is held in the highest regard by 
all who know him. 



GEORGE A. GABRIELSON. 

One of Dayton's most progressive and 
energetic business men is George A. Gabriel- 
son, a well-known hardware and agricultural 
implement dealer of that place. In his 
special line of business he has met with good 
success and by the energy and zeal he has 
manifested he has won the confidence and 
esteem of the public. 

A native of Webster county he was horn 
in Dayton April 16, 1864, and is the son of 
John Gabrielson, who is represented else- 
where in this work. He attended the Leon- 
ard district school in Dayton township and 
also the village school for a time. On com- 
pleting his education he was granted a 
teacher's certificate and taught at the Adam- 
son school house in Clay township for a 
time. Mr. Gabrielson then engaged in farm- 
ing with his brother. Axel, and gave his at- 
tention to that pursuit for ten years. In 1896 
he removed to Dayton and formed a part- 
nership with his brother. Victor, in his pres- 
ent business. They carry a complete line 
of shelf and heavy hardware, stoves and 



ranges, farm implements, buggies, wagons 
and pumps, and are enjoying a good trade, 
which is constantly increasing. 

At Stanton. Iowa, Mr. Gabrielson was 
married June 5, 1899, to Miss Anna Burke, 
who was born in Geneseo, Henry county, 
Illinois. March 15, 1874, a daughter of Au- 
del and Mary Burke, natives of Sweden, 
where ther marriage was celebrated. The 
father was twice married, his first wife hav- 
ing died in Sweden. On coming to America 
he settled in Geneseo, Illinois, hut later re- 
moved to Stanton, Iowa, where he followed 
farming until called to his final rest. He 
bought one hundred and sixty acres of land 
on coming to this state and to the original 
tract added from time to time as he pros- 
pered in business until at the time of his 
death he owned three hundred and sixty 
acres of well improved land. His widow is 
still living and continues to reside in Stan- 
ton. The two children born of his first mar- 
riage are both deceased. Those of the sec- 
ond union are Emma, wife of Alexander 
Lauger, of Swedesburg, Iowa ; Charles, who 
married Anna Peterson and lives on our sub- 
ject's father's farm, a half mile from Day- 
ton ; May, wife of Edward Stephenson, of 
Chicago ; Clara, who married C. A. Ji >lm- 
son, residing a half mile from Dayton, and 
died August 26, 1901 ; Frank, who lives on 
the old homestead at Stanton ; Adelbert, who 
married Nellie Eckluud and resides on his 
father-in-law's farm four miles west of Day- 
ton; Anna, wife of our subject; and Mattie, 
who is now keeping house for her brother, 
Frank. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gabrielson have one child, 
Lester, born September 18, 1900. They own 
a very pleasant home in Dayton, where they 
now reside, and besides this and his business 
property, Mr. Gabrielson still has a fine farm 
of two hundred and forty acres of improved 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



565 



land mi section 28, Dayton township. He 

is a man of good business and executive abil- 
ity and generally carries forward to success- 
ful completion whatever he undertakes. He 
attends the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran 
church and is a member of the [Modern 
Woodmen of America. The Republican 
party finds in him a stanch, supporter of its 
principles, but he has always refused t< 1 ac- 
cept office, preferring to devote his entire 
time and attention to his business interests. 



RASMUS PETERSON. 

Since the spring of 1887 Mr. Peterson 
has been one of the most valued and highly 
esteemed citizens of Badger township, his 
home being on section 18, where he owns 
an excellent farm of three hundred and 
twenty acres. Although of foreign birth his 
duties of citizenship have been performed 
with a loyalty equal to that of any native son, 
and when the nation was imperiled by the 
hydra-headed monster, rebellion, he went to 
the defense of the Union and protected the 
cause of his adopted country on many a 
southern battle field. 

Mr. Peterson was born near Stavanger, 
Norway, April 9, 1843, ar| d grew to man- 
hood in his native land. In 1861 he emi- 
grated to America and on landing in Quebec 
came west by way of Chicago and located in 
Grundy county, Illinois, where for some time 
he worked at anything which he could find 
to do. When the country called for more 
troops in 1862 to aid in crushing out the re- 
bellion he enlisted in Company C, Fifty-third 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was as- 
signed to the Army of the Tennessee. He 
participated in the battles of Pittsburg Land- 
ing and Corinth, and was in a number of 



skirmishes. Being taken ill he was con- 
fined in Overton Hospital, at Memphis, for 
some time, and was then honorably dis- 
charged and returned home. 

On sufficiently recovering his health Mr. 
Peterson resumed agricultural pursuits and 
for three years operated a rented farm in 
Grundy count)*. He then removed to La 
Salle county. Illinois, where he also rented a 
farm and engaged in its operation for two 
years. At the end of that time he purchased 
eighty acres of wild land in Champaign 
county, the same state, and later added to 
it another tract of the same size, making a 
good farm of one hundred and sixty acres, 
pleasantly located near Rantoul. There he 
spent twenty years of his life, and on selling 
out at the end of that time came to Webster 
county Iowa, and purchased one hundred and 
sixty acres in Badger township, where he 
now resides. The following year he bought 
one hundred and sixty acres more, and to- 
day has one of the best improved and most 
desirable places in his locality. There is a 
neat residence on the farm, two good barns 
and convenient outbuildings, and even-thing 
about the place testifies to the careful su- 
pervision of the owner. In connection with 
general farming he carries on stock raising 
quite success full}'. 

In Grundy county. Illinois. Mr. Peter- 
son was married in 1864 to Miss Rhoda 
Johnson, a native of that county and 
a daughter of Ole Johnson, who came 
to this country from Norway and 
was one of the first to locate in 
Grundy county. By this union were born 
thirteen children, nine of whom are living, 
namely : Peter, who is now married and en- 
gaged in the grain business in Badger; Delia, 
wife of Sever Thompson, of Fort Dodge; 
Lena, wife of Martin Thompson, a merchant 
of Badger; Rasmus, who is married and re- 



566 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



sides on the home place; Rosa, wife of Louis 
Oxnes, of Badger ; and Gilbert, Bertha, Ar- 
thur and Gertie, all at home. Those de- 
ceased are: Oscar, Delia, Peter and Olena. 
Mr. Peterson gives his political support 
to the Republican party, having been identi- 
fied with that great political organization 
since casting his first presidential vote for 
Abraham Lincoln in 1864. He has never 
aspired to office, but gives his entire time and 
attention to his farming interests, in which 
he has been eminently successful. He is 
to-day one of the leading agriculturist of his 
community as well as one of the most highly 
esteemed citizens oL Badger township. Re- 
ligiously he and his family are connected 
with the Lutheran church and are held in 
high regard by all who know them. 



JOHN VANDEVENDER. 

Among the pioneer families of Webster 
county, none is more highly honored than 
that, represented by John Vandeventer, a 
farmer residing on section 28, Washington 
township. His father, Caleb ■ Vandevender, 
was born and reared in New York and went 
from there to Ohio, where he married Kath- 
erine Piper a native of Pennsylvania. In 
1843 he removed to Indiana and engaged in 
farming in that state for ten years. During 
the spring of 1854 he came to Webster o mn- 
tv, Iowa, which was then a vast tract of un- 
settled and uncultivated land. He camped 
in a grove near the farm occupied by his 
son, John. All around him was a vast stretch 
of raw timber and prairie land which, how- 
ever, bore marks of fertility and only awaited 
the pioneer's care and cultivation to become 
valuable property. Not a single house was 



to be seen in all the distance from this farm 
to Batch Grove on Boone river, thirty-five 
miles away. The nearest point for trading 
was Fort Dodge. No division had as yet 
been made between Hamilton and Wabster 
counties, which had their common county 
seat at Homer. The now thriving villages 
of Dayton and Lehigh did not then even oc- 
cupy a place in the imagination of the most 
sanguine settler or on the map of the most 
enthusiastic boomer. Webster City was 
known as Newcastle and contained only two 
houses. Deer and elk were to- be seen on 
every hand and other game was plentiful, af- 
fording a gratefully received addition to the 
oftimes scanty larder of the pioneer. Land 
sold at the government price of one dollar 
and twenty-five cents' per acre, and even at 
that low price was not eagerly sought after, 
but Caleb Vandevender was a man with a 
profound faith in the future and he bought 
land, devoted himself to its improvement and 
in time became a prosperous farmer. He 
remained in Webster county until his death 
in January, 1895. He had been a prominent 
local worker in the Republican party and bad 
held all of the township offices. In religion 
he was connected with the Methodist Epis- 
copal church. 

The first wife of Caleb Vandevender died 
in 1836. Of her four children, Eliza mar- 
ried Michael Butler and settled near Inde- 
pendence, Iowa, but is now deceased ; Nancy, 
Mrs. Augustus Story, died in Webster City, 
Iowa ; John, of this sketch, was the only son 
of this marriage and was born in Wayne 
county, Ohio, June 27, 1833; and Mary, the 
youngest of the four, married Samuel Ar- 
therton and died in this county. The sec- 
ond wife of Caleb Vandevender was Isabel 
Malotte, a native of Ohio, now residing with 
her daughter, Mrs. James Jameson, in 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



567 



Washington township. Four children were 
I ' 1 11 of this marriage who lived to maturity, 
one daughter. Ella, having died at the age of 
five years. Maria is the wife of Henry 
Barr and lives near Paola, Kansas; William 
was formerly in South Dakota but now 
makes his home in Linn county, Kansas; 
Elizabeth is the widow of James Jameson, 
of Washington township. Webster county; 
and Daniel resides in Washington township. 
William and Daniel married sisters, Cecilia 
and Minnie Marked, but the former is now 
deceased. 

When John Yandevender was about ten 
years old he went with his father to Indiana 
and for a time attended school. Later I e 
worked by the month in Steuben county, In- 
diana, receiving ten dollars a month. He 
acaompanied his father to Iowa and for 
three years worked in the Butterworth and 
Messmore mill at Border Plains. Mean- 
time, in 1854. he had entered eighty acres 
of land and built a house of hewed logs, also 
cultivated the land, so that he was able to 
settle upon it and secure a livelihood fn >m its 
management. In Webster county, Novem- 
ber 15, 1857, he married Ellen Mayberry, 
win > was born in McLean county. Illinois, 
May 7, 1839, being a daughter of Jacob and 
Mary I Hand ) Mayberry. natives, respect- 
ively, of Tennessee and Ohio. Some years 
after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Mavberry 
came to Iowa and settled in Humboldt coun- 
ty, but two years later, in 1857, they re- 
moved to Washington township, Webster 
county. Later they went to Miami county, 
Kansas, and bought a farm, on which they 
remained until their death. In religion they 
were faithful members of the Methodist 
Episcopal church. Their family comprised 
five sons and four daughters, namely: 
George, who died in Nebraska ; Nancy Jane, 
a widow living in Kansas; Priscilla, wife of 



John Rutledge and a resident of Kansas; 
Ellen, wife of our subject; John, who mar- 
ried Susie Walters and lives at Boone River, 
Iowa; Henry, deceased, whose widow makes 
her home in Kansas; Martha, widow of Jos- 
eph R( >gers and a resident of (.'< ,1, iradi 1 ; Wes- 
ley, who died in California; and Fletcher, 
who married Amanda Yager and moved to 
New Mexico. He became proprietor of a 
boarding house there and one night an out- 
law attempted to rob a physician who was 
stopping at his house, but the latter n 
and was killed. The outlaw then w, 
upon by the family and by the neighbors who 
had been attracted by the outcry, but the 
murderous desperado succeeded in killing 
eight persons, including all of the Mayberry 
family excepting a daughter, ddie latter is 
now married and living near Ackley, Iowa. 
To the marriage of John Vandevender and 
Ellen Mayberry three children were born. 
"James II.. William F. and Mattie. The older 
son, who is engaged in the grain business at 
Duincomhe. Iowa, married Sarah Owens, 
by whom he had three children : Fmmett, 
deceased; Zelpha and Altie. Idle younger 
son, William F. is unmarried and resides 
with his father. The only daughter married 
George Best, who is employed in the audi- 
tor's office at Webster City; they have three 
children. Marlin, Ray and Claire. 

At the outbreak of the Civil war the 
sympathies of Mr. Vandevender were 
strongly enlisted on the side of the Union 
and after a year, when a call was made for 
more volunteers, he offered his services to 
the country. At Fort Dodge. August 13, 
iNoj, his name was enrolled in Company I, 
Thirty-second Iowa Infantry, which was 
drilled at Camp Franklin, Dubuque, and 
thence proceeded to New Madrid, Missouri, 
from there to Fort Pillow, and later to Co- 
lumbus, Kentucky, under General A. G. 



568- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Smith. The next objective point was Vicks- 
burg, which had recently been captured by 
the Federal forces. Under General Sher- 
man the regiment marched to Tombigbee 
river and then returned to Vicksburg. Dur- 
ing the expedition up the Red river, in 
which the regiment accompanied General 
Banks, while the battle of Pleasant Hill was 
in progress, Air. Vandevender was captured 
by the Confederates and taken to Mansfield, 
Louisiana, where for eleven weeks he was 
detailed as nurse to Union soldiers in the 
hospital. On being sent to Parole Camp, at 
New Orleans, lie was exchanged and per- 
mitted to rejoin his regiment. His next lo- 
cation was at Spanish Fort, Mobile. Ala- 
bama, and soon afterward he participated in 
the stirring engagement at Fort Blakeley. 
which took place only a few days before the 
surrender of General Lee. On the close of 
the war he was ordered to Montgomery, Ala- 
bama, and there mustered out of the service. 
He then returned to Iowa and resumed 
farm pursuits, in which he has since met with 
a gratifying degree of success, being the 
owner of a valuable and well improved tract 
of eighty acres in Washington township. 

Every movement to develop the material 
resources of his township or promote the 
welfare of its residents has received the sym- 
pathy and influence of Mr. Vandevender, 
who has done effective work along these 
lines through his efficient service in the offices 
of road supervisor, constable and member of 
the school board. His first presidential vote 
was cast for John C. Fremont. From that 
day to this he has been stanch in his al- 
legiance to the Republican party and in his 
support of its men and measures. His 
long identification with Webster countv, ex- 
tending from his youth to the present time, 
and his close association with agricultural 
affairs, have given him prominence and in- 



fluence among the farmers of the county, as 
well as a high place in the regard of every 
acquaintance. 



CARL J. HOUGE. 

Carl J. Houge, one of Badger township's 
most enterprising and progressive farmers, 
has spent almost his entire life in this county, 
and his name is insqjarably connected with 
its agricultural interests. He is the proprie- 
tor of one of the best farms in his locality, 
it being a valuable tract of two hundred acres 
on section 7. He was born in Dane county, 
Wisconsin, May 23, i860, but was only two 
years old when brought to Webster county, 
Iowa, by his parents, John J. and Karen S. 
Houge. 

The father was born in Norway in 181 3, 
and there grew to manhood. On his emigra- 
tion to the new world about 1848, he lo- 
cated in Dane county, Wisconsin, where he 
subsequently purchased land and engaged in 
farming until 1868, which year witnessed his 
arrival in Webster county, Iowa. His first 
purchase of land in this locality consisted of 
two hundred acres, which he at once com- 
menced to improve and cultivate. As time 
passed he added to his property from time to 
time until he owned thirteen hundred acres 
of land in Wehster and Humboldt counties, 
being one of the wealthiest and most substan- 
tial men of his community. His success in 
life was due entirely to his own efforts and 
the assistance of his estimable wife, as he 
came to this country empty-handed. Being 
industrious, enterprising and energetic pros- 
perity at length crowned his offorts and at 
his death he was able to leave his family in 
comfortahle circumstances. He departed 
this life in 1892. His widow still survives 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



569 



him and continues to reside on the old home 
farm, in Badger township. She has never 

ridden on a train of cars. In the family of 
this worthy couple were five sons of whom 
our subject is the fourth in order of birth. 
The others are James S-, win 1 now owns and 
operates the old home farm ; Albert M., also 
a farmer of this county ; Peter A., a mer- 
chant of Badger: and Adolph S. All are 
residents of Badger township. 

On the old home farm Carl J. Houge 
passed his early life in much the usual man- 
ner of farmer boys, assisting in the work- of 
the fields through the summer months and 
attending the district schools through the 
winter season. He remained under the pa- 
rental roof until he attained his majority, 
giving his father the benefit of his labors. 
On the 4th of May, 1890, was celebrated his 
marriage with Miss Chistena Chantland, a 
daughter of Thomas Chantland, one of the 
early settlers of this county, who came to 
this state from Wisconsin, but was originally 
from Norway. He is now living in Badger 
township one mile north of thq town of 
Badger. By this union were born three 
children, as follows: Melvin J., Ernest T. 
and Kermit S. 

Mr. and Mrs. Houge began their married 
life upon the farm where they stdl reside, 
there being at that time an old house upon 
the place, which has since given way to a 
more commodious and pleasant residence. 
A barn, granary, corn cribs and other out 
buildings have been erected and the neat and 
thrifty appearance of the place plainly in- 
dicates the careful supervision of a pains- 
taking and progressive owner who thorough- 
ly understands the vocation he has chosen as 
a life work. He commenced life here with 
one hundred and sixty acres, but has since 
sold a part of this and bought other tracts, 
and now owns two hundred acres all in one 



body but on three different sections. Mr. 
Houge gives considerable attention to the 
raising and feeding of cattle and hogs for 
market, and in all his undertakings has been 
eminently successful so that he is now quite 
well-to-do. 

By his ballot he supports the men and 
measures of the Republican party, and cast 
his first presidential vote for Benjamin Har- 
rison. He has never cared for office, prefer- 
ring to devote his entire time and attention 
to his business interest--. Public-spirited and 
progressive he takes a deep interest in edu- 
cational affairs, and has efficiently served as 
school director for a number of years, and 
gives his support to every enterprise which 
he believes will prove of public benefit. Both 
he and his wife are members 1 -f the Lutheran 
church, and are among the most highly es- 
teemed citizens of their community. 



BEXJAMIX FRAXKLIX BLACK. 

Benjamin Franklin Black, a practical 
and enterprising agriculturist of Cooper 
township, owns and operates three hundred 
and twenty acres of land, constituting 
one of the valuable and highly improved 
farms of the locality. His possessions have 
all been acquired through his own efforts, 
and as the result of his consecutive en- 
deavor he has won a place among the sub- 
stantial citizens of the county. 

A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Black 
was bom in Greene county, on the 29th of 
Xovember, 1861, and is a son of James A. 
Black, whose birth occurred in the same 
county, May 19, 1822. His mother, who 
bore the maiden name of Sarah Steele, was 
born in Wot Virginia, February 22. [827. 
Our subject's paternal grandfather, Ben- 



57° 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



jamin F. Black, was also born in Greene 
county, Pennsylvania, and died June 10, 
1843, while his wife, who in her maiden- 
hoi d was Sophia Gabler, was born in Ger- 
man}' and died June 23. 1852. at the age 
of forty-seven years. In the county of his 
nativity James A. Black still resides, he and 
his wife being" one of the oldest couples 
within its borders. His has been a busy and 
useful life, and he is one of the prominent 
men of his locality. He is both a lawyer 
and farmer, and has most capably filled the 
position of justice of the peace and other 
minor offices. I lis family consists of nine 
children, as follows: Charles F... Marion, 
Emma, John S., Anna. James B., Benjamin 
I*'.. Samuel and Asia. 

Benjamin F. Black grew to manhood in 
his native county, and received his education 
in its public schools. He has always given 
his attention to farming and in his chosen 
occupation has met with marked success. 
In 1885 he came to Webster county, Iowa, 
where his father had previously purchased 
a farm, and upon that place he has since 
made his home, having bought the land of 
his father. He has erected good and sub- 
stantial buildings thereon, and made many 
( ther useful and valuable improvements, 
which make it one of the most desirable 
farms in the locality. It consists of three 
hundred and twenty acres, of which sixty- 
acres are devoted to corn and forty to small 
grain, while the remainder is meadow and 
pasture land. Mr. P.lack gives much atten- 
tion to the raising of stock, making a spec- 
ialty of polled Angus cattle, and generally 
feeds about five car loads of both cattle and 
hogs for market annually. He has one 
of the nicest orchards in Cooper township, 
covering six acres and containing about 
four hundred apple trees. 

On the 27th of January. 18X5, Mr. Black 



married Miss Eva Stevenson, who was also 
born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, De- 
cember 2^. 1864, a daughter of Ellis and 
Mary (Jones) Stevenson, also natives of 
that county. Her father, who was a farmer 
by occupation, died at the age of fifty-tw 1 
years, but her mother is still living and 
makes her home in Greensboro, Pennsyl- 
vania. Their children were Martin, Alfred, 
Eva, William, Presley. Parmelia, Mary, 
Priscilla. Maud and Jones. Mr. and Mrs. 
Black have an interesting family of five chil- 
dren, namely: Mar}- E., William H, Asia 
M., Florence C. and Effie L. The family 
attend the Congregational church, and Mr. 
Black is a member of the Modern Wood- 
men Camp No. 438, at Fort Dodge. Polit- 
ically he is identified with the Democratic 
part}-. Fie is a wide-awake, energetic busi- 
ness man. and in manner is pleasant and 
genial. 



J. A. NIXON. 

J. A. Nixorf, the present popular mayor 
of Dayti mi. ti iwa, was born in St. Clair coun- 
ty, Illinois, on r6th of September, 18(4, and 
is a son of William and Eliza (Motz) Nixon, 
natives of Monroe county, Illinois, where 
their marriage was celebrated. The father 
followed the occupation of farming and also 
engaged in teaching school in Monroe and 
St. Clair counties for twenty years. He was 
in the Union service during the last two 
vears of the Civil war. being a member of 
the Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
which formed a part of the Black Eagle 
Corps, commanded by General John A. Lo- 
gan. He was with Sherman on the cele- 
brated march to the sea. While in the army 
he suffered a sunstroke, from the effects of 
which he did not recover for many vears, 




JOHN A. NIXON 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



573 



and on account of ill health he removed to 
Arkansas in 1888, and lie and his wife are 
now living on a farm. near Rose Bud, that 
state. They are the parents of eleven chil- 
dren, of whom our subject is the oldest, the 
others being Sarah, who died at the age of 
one and a half years; Charles, who died at 
the age of twelve years; Delsie. wife of 
James Hale, of Oklahoma; Ellen, wife of 
Henry Osborn, of Heber, Arkansas; George, 
who died at the age of one year ; Jemima, 
John, Emery. Alice. Walter and Willie, all 
at lume with their parents; and one who 
died in infancy. 

Reared in his native county. J. A. Nixon 
received a good district school education in 
what was known as the Irvin and Hickory 
Grove school houses, and in 1885 entered the 
university at Valparaiso. Indiana, where he 
completed the teacher's course and then suc- 
cessfully engaged in teaching school in Sin- 
clair county, Illinois, for six years^ 

On the 25th of October, 1S90. at Wat- 
erloo, Illinois. Mr. Nixon was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Lucinda Burke, who was 
born there in 1862, a daughter of John and 
Mary Burke, both natives of Ireland. She 
was one of a family of seven children, four 
of whom are still living. Her death occurred 
February 8. 1893, and her remains were in- 
terred in a cemetery at Waterloo, Illinois. 

One year later Mr. Nixon went to Law- 
rence, Kansas, where he was connected with 
the photographic business for a year and for 
a year and a half traveled with the Union 
View Company. At the end of that time he 
came to Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he was 
engaged in the same line of work for nine 
months and then on the 1st of September. 
1896, removed to Dayton, becoming the 
leading photographer in the southern part 
of the county. 

Mr. Nixon was again married. Septem- 



ber S. [896, at Corning, Iowa, hi- second 
union being with Miss Sophia Schuck, who 
was born in Red Bud, Illinois, February 27. 
1865. Her parents, William and Sophia 
Schuck. are still residents 1 if that place. Her 
father is a native of Germany. In the 
Schuck family were eleven children, of whom 
six are living. Mr. Nixon has two children 
by his first marriage. Pearl and Viola, and 
one li\ the second, William Homer. 

Fraternally Mr. Nixon is a prominent 
member of Granite Lodge, No. 33 J. K. of 
P., of which he has been chancellor com- 
mander for the past two years and ha- also 
served as representative to the grand lodge 
of that organization. His fellow citizens 
recognizing his worth and ability, elected 
him mayor of Dayton in 1899 and he has 
since filled that office. Never have the reins 
of city government been in more capable 
hands for he is progressive, energetic and 
public-spirited, and does all in his power to 
advance the interests of the city. He is also 
president of the park association and takes 
an active interest in all public improvements. 



ANTON SPIREK. 



The faculty of not only seizing existing 
opportunities but of creating additional 
chances, has had much to do with the rise 1 
prominence of Anton Spirek, one 01 the large 
land owners, enterprising agriculturists, and 
all around helpful citizens of Webster 
county. The accident of birth alone prevents 
Mr. Spirek from being an American in all 
senses of the word, tor he was but five years 
of age when he left his native land of Aus- 
tria, where he was born July 15, 1854. and 
accompanied his parents, Joseph and Anna 
( Houtz ) Spirek. to America in October of 



574 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



i866. The family settled in Washington 
county, Iowa, where they lived for two 
months, and then removed to Johnson 
county where the father bought eighty 
acres of land upon which he lived for four 
years. After disposing of this property he 
again settled in Washington county, pur- 
chased land and remained there until com- 
ing to Elkhorn township, Webster county, 
in 1877. Here the father bought eighty 
acres of land which was sit well utilized that 
his interests in time required more room and 
he became the owner of two hundred acres. 
He was a Republican in politics and in Aus- 
tria had affiliated with the Roman Catholic 
church. He was a man of force, determina- 
tion and unquestioned integrity, and his 
death, October 6, 1890, removed a man of 
•\\ hom the community was justly proud. His 
wife, who is still living at Fort Dodge, is 
the mother of the following children: 
Charles, a farmer in Elkhorn t< iwnship, mar- 
ried Anna Hoyek ; Joseph, living at Fort 
Dodge, has been twice married ; Mary is 
the wife of Vince Clobek, of Fulton town- 
ship ; Frank, a resident of Fort Dodge, mar- 
ried Lizzie Peterson, now deceased ; Albert, 
living at Fort Dodge, married Mary 
Clobek, of Cedar Rapids; Anna ii the wife 
of Joseph Cole, of Fort I >< idge ; Xettie is the 
wife of Albert Cole, of Fort Dodge; and Ed- 
ward is an employe of the Chicago & Great 
Western Railroad, with headquarters at Elk- 
horn. 

The early education of Anton Spirek 
was acquired under difficulties, for he had' 
to walk five miles through the woods to a 
little log school house and attendance at this 
primitive educational institution was possi- 
ble only through the leisure of the winter 
months. At the age of fifteen he ceased go- 
ing to school entirely and devoted all of his 
time to assisting with the work on his 



father's farm. When twenty-one years old 
he branched out on his own responsibility 
and practically applied his previous train- 
ing as manager of the stock farm of Theo- 
dore Hollies, in Cooper township. Webster 
county. At the end of two years he filled a 
similar position for Woolset Wells, in the 
same township, and after two years had 
amassed sufficient money to enable him to 
buy one hundred and twenty acres of land 
on section 21, Elkhorn township. 

In the meantime, while on the Hollies 
farm Mr. Spirek was married, January 4, 
1881, at Fort Dodge, to Anna Wesley, who 
was born in Austria August 10, 1856, a 
daughter of Frank and Phrona (Feist) Wes- 
ley, who were born and married in Austria- 
The parents came to America in 1866 and 
located in Washington county, Iowa, where 
the father bought forty acres of land, which 
was afterward sold upon his removal to 
Webster county in 1872. In the new loca- 
tion he enlarged his interests by purchasing 
one hundred and twenty acres of land and 
was so good a manager and business man 
that he came to own fourteen hundred acres 
of land. He is now living in Elkhorn town- 
ship but has distributed his possessions 
among his children. His wife, who is also 
still living, is the mother of the following 
children : Mary, wife of Michael Fox, of 
Fulton township; Anna, wife of Anton 
Spirek; Joseph; Anthony; Albert: Melike: 
and Frank. With the exception of Frank all 
of the children are married and live in Elk- 
horn township. To Mr. and Mrs. Spirek 
have been born six children, namely : Emma, 
born November 26, 1883 ; William, May 29, 
1885 ; Adam and Lizzie, twins, December 25, 
1892; Rosie, July 5, 1894; and David, Sep- 
tember 26, 1897. 

After settling on his farm in Elkhorn 
township, Mr. Spirek built a fine modern 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



575 



rural home, large barns, granaries, eattle 
sheds, and substantial fences, and has by pa- 
tient application and common sense methods 
made it one of the finest farms in Webster 
county. To bis original purchase he has 
added until he now owns three hundred and 
sixty acres. Politically, Mr. Spirek has al- 
ways supported the Democratic party, and 
has held about all of the township offices 
within the gift of his fellow townsmen. He 
is one of the most popular and well-known 
residents of Webster county, and has taken 
all of the Masonic degrees at Fort Dodge, 
being- a member of Lodge No. 1 1 1, and Com- 
mander}- No. 24. and of the Mystic Shrine, 
of Des Moines. In bis general character 
Mr. Spirek embodies those fundamental 
principles which have ever been regarded as 
bulwarks of any community in which they 
are found. He is progressive, enterprising, 
and charitable to an unusual degree, and in 
his ministrations to public need has never 
been bound by creeds or dogmas, or indi- 
vidual prejudice. Impartially his purse and 
council are at the disposal of all worthy and 
deserving causes, and he is known far and 
wide as one of the best farmers and most 
substantial men of 'Webster county. 



TAMES BASS. 



Prominent among- the citizens of Web- 
ster county who have witnessed the marvel- 
ous development of this section of the slate 
in the last half century, and who have, by 
honest toil and industry succeeded in ac- 
quiring a competence, and are now able to 
spend the sunset of life in quiet and retire- 
ment, is the gentleman whose name intro- 
duces this sketch. For many years he was 
actively engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
but is now living a retired life in Davton. 



Mr. Bass was bum in North Carolina 
April j-, 1832, a son of Edward and Mary 
(Same) ) Has,, who were of German de- 
scent. His paternal grandfather fought for 
American independence in the Revolution- 
ary war, and participated in the battle of 
Bunker Hill. From North Carolina the fam- 
ily removed to Indiana when our subject 
was three years old, and in 1855 ms parents 
came to Iowa, purchasing a farm of two 
hundred and forty acres of land in Boone 
county and later forty acres of timber land. 
'I he father, who was In rn January 17, [789, 
died February 3, 1883, and the mother 
passed away July 15, 1886. 

This worth)- couple were the parents of 
the following named children: Jesse mar- 
ried Polly Landreth and both died in Boone 
county; Patsy became the wile of Fennel 
Landreth and both are now deceased; Han- 
nah married Thomas Landreth and they 
spent their last days m Webster county; Ma- 
tilda is the witlow of Matt Cole and makes 
her home at Mineral Ridge; Betsy married 
David Spark, of Boone county, and both are 
now deceased ; James is the next of the fam- 
ily ; John married Maggie Getzman and lives 
in ( )gden, Boone county : Sarah first married 
Jesse Maguire and second David Landreth 
and died at Missouri Valley Junction; 
David married Maggie Conrad and they re- 
side near Boone; and Rachel, deceased, was 
the wife of Cyrus Haller. 

James Bass was reared and educated in 
Owen county, Indiana, pursuing his studies 
at a subscription school, the building being 
made of logs. He laid aside his books at the 
age 'f fourteen, and then assisted his father 
in the operation of the home farm until he 
attained bis majority. In the fall of 1852 
he came to Webster county, Iowa, and by 
working as a farm hand managed to secure 
en- ugh capital to purchase eighty acres of 



5/6 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



government land, for which he paid from one 
dollar and a quarter to one dollar and a half 
per acre. This was situated seven miles 
northeast of Dayton and became his home- 
stead. 

In 1857 Mr. Bass was married in Boone 
county, Iowa, to Miss Cassie Halloway, who 
was also horn in North Carolina. March 24, 
1837, and died February 3, 1901. Her par- 
ents were natives of North Carolina, and 
there the mother died, but the father came to 
Boone county, Iowa, and made bis home with 
our subject until bis second marriage just be- 
fore the Civil war. He died in February. 
1881, and was buried in Beem cemetery, 
Webster county. By his first union he had 
six children, four sons and two daughters, 
but Elizabeth, wife of William Fry. of Yell 
township, Webster county, is the only one 
now living. Two sons were killed and an- 
other died while taking part in the Civil war. 

Mr. Bass had nine children, namely : ( 1 ) 
Mary Jane is now the wife of Taylor Scott, 
of Gowrie and has seven children, Hubert, 
Nellie, Grace, Clifton. Cassie, Wilson and 
Leo. (2) Rachel A. is with her father. (3) 
Addie is the wife of Thomas Bragg, a farmer 
of Gowrie and their children are Alva 
and Mina. (4) Sherman, a resident of 
Dayton, married Julia Casebolt and has 
three children, Orville, Effie and Fay. (5) 
Grant married Cora Guthrie and has two 
children, Halsey and Sylva. (6) Miles, a 
farmer of Yell township, married Jennie 
Nelson and has two children, Raymond and 
Marie. (7) Mina and (8) Elsie are both at 
home with their father. (9) Ella is the wife 
of Dr. L. E. Estick of Rockwell City, and 
they have one child. Lewis Howard. 

There was an Indian scare in this sec- 
tion of the state right after the Spirit Lake 
massacre and about three hundred men. in- 
cluding Mr. Bass, organized under the com- 



mand of Johnson McFarland and Joe Thrift 
for the purpose of defending the settlers. 
1 hey marched from Boonesboro to Hooks 
Point and on to Homer, and from the last 
named place were ordered to Webster City, 
where they spent three days and nights. The 
companies were then- disbanded and the men 
returned to their homes. 

In 1863 Mr. Bass volunteered to fight 
against the Indians under Captain Williams 
of Fort Dodge and went to Chain Lake on 
the boundary line between Iowa and Minne- 
sota, where they established barracks, build- 
ing stockades and several bouses with port 
holes, through which they could fire on the 
red men and still be protected. At that time 
there were two other posts between Chain 
Lake and Spirit Lake, Captain Ingams be- 
ing in command of one of these, and each 
day during the entire time spent there com- 
munication passed from one post to the 
other. At the end of six months the com- 
pany marched back to Fort Dodge and was 
disbanded. 

Mr. Bass joined the regular service in 
1864. enlisting on the i8tb of November, 
in Company K, Sixteenth Iowa Volunteer 
Infantry, under Captain Stattman. Being 
too late to join General Sherman on the 
march to the sea, they were ordered to Nash- 
ville, and on arriving in that citv were quar- 
tered on the seventh story of the Jolly Coffer 
House, where they spent the night and were 
given a very poor supper and breakfast. 
The next morning the company to which 
our subject belonged was detached from 
the regiment and its members assigned to 
different regiments, Mr. Bass becoming a 
member of the One Hundred and Thirty- 
second New York Infantry. As soon as he 
drew his gun he was placed on the picket 
line and bullets were dying thickly about 
him in less than two hours. He was detailed 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



577 



as guard at Fort Xeglev one day and night, 
and at Fort Lookout the following day and 
night. He saw a negro brigade make a 
charge on the rebels, and then shell the 
woods all one night. The soldiers were 
often compelled to wade in the swamps 
around Nashville where the water was al- 
most neck deep, although the weather was 
bitter cold, it being between Christmas and 
New Years, and would make piles of rails 
and brush on which to stand in order to keep 
out of the water. When Hood was driven 
out of Nashville the Union troops went in 
pursuit, but their supplies were cut off by 
the rebels and for seven days had only two 
days' rations. On the night of the seventh 
day, Mr. Bass and his messmates secured 
three ears of corn when the mules were fed, 
and parched one-half of the amount for their 
supper, saving the remainder for breakfast 
next morning. * The same evening our sub- 
ject noticed one man eating a piece of raw 
backbone as he was marching along, so fam- 
ished had the soldiers became. Mr. Bass and 
his comrade marched all that day with noth- 
ing to eat except the ear and a half of corn 
which they shared between them. Our sub- 
ject participated in the battles of Kingston 
and Goldsboro, North Carolina, and at the 
latter place rejoined his old regiment under 
the command of General Sherman. With 
his command he next marched to Raleigh, 
where they remained two weeks before 
Johnston finally surrendered, -and then took 
part in a two days' review at that place. 
They proceeded to Washington, D. C, by 
way of Richmond, and took part in the 
grand review in the capital city. With his 
command Mr. Bass then went to Louisville, 
Kentucky, where he. remained until dis- 
charged from the service July 19, 1865. 
Fortunately he was never wounded, but 
during the battle of Louisa Fords a bullet 



split the rail he was carrying for breast- 
works between his hands and almost 
knocked him over. Besides the battles men- 
tioned he took part in a number of minor 
engagements, and was always found at his 
post of duty, valiantly defending the old 
flag and the cause it represented. 

After his return home Mr. Bass en- 
gaged in farming until March, 1896, when 
he laid aside active labor and removed to 
1 )ayti in. In business affairs he has steadily 
prospered and is to-day the owner of eight 
hundred acres of valuable land in Webster 
county, lie also owns the American House; 
half a business block north of the hotel; and 
other property in Dayton, including a nice 
residence on Main street, where he makes 
his home. He also has a business lot in 
Stratford, Hamilton county. Although now 
nearly seventy years of age he has never 
made a deed or given a mortgage, but is 
still the possessor of all the property which 
he has purchased. Starting out in .life for 
himself with no capital his success is due en- 
tirely to his own industry, perseverance and 
good management, and he well deserves 
the prosperity that has come to him. Fra- 
ternally Mr. Bass is an honored member of 
the Grand Army of the Republic, and polit- 
ically is a stanch supporter of the Demo- 
cratic party. 



ANDREW HANNON. 

The prolific resources of Webster county 
have been utilized in a creditable manner by 
Andrew Hannon, who, though practically 
retired from active business or agricultural 
life has in the past exerted a wide influence 
toward the improvement of the farming in- 
terests of his township, lie was born in 



578 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Kenosha county, Wisconsin, August 24, 
1850, a son of Patrick and Ellen (Rey- 
nolds) Hannon, natives of Ireland. 

About 1S30 tlu parents left their na- 
tive land and took up their residence in 
England, where they lived until their emi- 
gration to America in 1845. At Kenosha, 
Wisconsin, they found a desirable farming 
region and there spent their busy lives until 
the death of the father about 1858. The 
mother and children removed to Webster 
county, Iowa, in 1865, and here the former 
died in 1S87. Eight childdren were born 
into this family, two of whom died in in- 
fancy ; Charles Harrison was killed at At- 
lanta, Georgia, during the Civil war; James 
H. was also a gallant soldier on the Union 
side and was drowned on his way home 
after the cessation of hostilities; John M. 
is the next of the family; Robert H. is de- 
ceased; and Nicholas H. married Katie 
Fitzgerald and is now a farmer in Wash- 
ington township, Webster county. 

Up to his sixteenth year Andrew Han- 
non attended the public schools and assisted 
with the numerous duties around the home 
farm. He then became identified with vari- 
ous lumber concerns in Michigan, and for 
eight years was a clerk for the Kirby Car- 
penter Company at Menominee. In the 
meantime he had purchased one hundred 
and twenty acres of land in Washing^ n 
township, Webster county, and upon this 
property he settled after his marriage with 
Mary Harmon, September 14, 1875. Mrs. 
Hannon was born in Kenosha county, Wis- 
consin, and is of Irish parentage, her father 
and mother having emigrated to America 
in 1840, and settled in ' Wisconsin, where 
the father died October 7, 1857, and the 
mother May 10, 1876. They were the par- 
ents of six children : Dennis, who died 
May 11, 1877, leaving a wife and two 



daughters living in Kenosha, Wisconsin; 
Catherine, whose husband, Thomas Nugent, 
died in Webster county, Iowa, in 1895; 
Peter H., who married Nancy Lynch, and 
alter the death of his wife in Kenosha coun- 
ty, Wisconsin, removed to Webster county, 
Iowa, where he eventually died; John H., 
who died in Webster county at the age of 
forty-nine years; and Elizabeth H., who 
became the wife of James Kelley and lives 
in South Dakota. The following children 
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hannon : 
An infant died unnamed; John, born Sep- 
tember 26, 1886, died October 31, 1899; 
Annie H., burn November 26, 1878, died 
June 4. 1891 ; Mildred H.. born July 4, 1882. 
is at present living with her parents; and 
Andrew H., born October 14, 1884, died 
June 27, 1899. 

For twenty-eight years Mr. Hannon was 
identified with the agricultural prosperity of 
Washington township and was an import- 
ant factor in the general growth of the dis- 
trict. Ripe in years and experience, and 
with the consciousness of having contrib- 
uted his share toward the work of the 
world, removed to Duncombe in 1890, 
where lie erected one of the finest homes in 
the vicinity, in which he has since lived. 
He superintends the management of his 
farm of four hundred and forty acres near 
Duncombe, where extensive farming in all 
its branches is conducted and carries on 
stock raising and shipping. In addition he 
owns and supervises property in the town of 
Duncombe, and is in fact one of the large 
land and real-estate owners of the township. 
During the winter of 1901-2 he erected the 
largest single business block in Duncombe, 
and is now conducting- a tobacco store in 
same. Most of his time is devoted to the 
buying of lots on which he erects buildings 
and then sells the same, and Mr. Hannon 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



579 



has done more than any one man to build 
up and improve the town. He draws ali 
his own plans for the different buildings. 

In politics a Democrat he is one of the 
stanch supporters of his party and was a 
member of the board of county supervisors 
during the years 1898, 1899 and 1900. In 
addition he has held most all of the impi >rt- 
ant township offices, and has discharged his 
obligations with a high degree of intelli- 
gence and due regard for the best interests 
of all concerned. Fraternally he is ass.ici- 
ated with the [Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
ica. With his family he is a member of 
the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Hannon 
is one of the most substantial men of his 
t^wnsliip and enjoys the confidence and 
friendship of all who know him. 



HENRY WILLEY. 



The deserved reward of a well-spent 
life is an honored retirement from business, 
in which to enjoy the fruits of former toil. 
To-day, after a useful and beneficial career, 
Mr. Willey is quietly living at his pleasant 
home in Vincent surrounded by the comfort 
that earnest labor has brought him. Since 
1882 he has been a resident of Webster 
county, and was for many years success- 
fully engaged in agricultural pursuits, own- 
ing and operating a fine farm of two hun- 
dred and forty acres, a mile and a half from 
the village- 
Mr. Willey was born in Hesse, Ger- 
man}-, November 19. 1833, and there grew 
to manhood upon a farm, receiving good 
school advantages, but his knowledge of 
the English language has been self-acquired 
since coming to this country. In 1S54 he 
emigrated to the new world, taking passage 



on a sailing vessel at Bremen and arriving 
in New York after a stormy voyage of 
about seven weeks' duration, lie landed 
in June of that year and at once proceeded 
to Chicago, where he worked for about a 
year. At the end of that time he went to 
Kendall county, Illinois, where he was em- 
ployed by the month as a farm hand for sev- 
eral years, and later worked on a farm in 
Cook count)-, that state, for a few years. 
We next find him in Champaign county, Il- 
linois, he having purchased eighty acres of 
wild land near Rantoul, which he at once 
ci immenced to break, fence and improve. 
He was engaged in the operation of that 
place until 1882, when he sold out and re- 
moved to Webster county. Iowa. Here he 
bought an unimproved farm of two hun- 
dred and forty acres, and to its develop- 
ment and cultivation he devoted his ener- 
gies until his retirement from active labor. 
Upon his place he erected a good residence 
and substantial outbuildings and made 
many other useful and valuable improve- 
ments. He continued to reside upon his 
farm until 1900 when he rented it and re- 
moved to Vincent, where he is now living 
a retired life in a house he erected, enjoying 
the fruits of former toil. As a stranger in 
a strange land and unfamiliar with the 
English language he commenced life in this 
country without means but has steadily 
overcome all the difficulties and obstacles in 
the path to success, and is now quite well- 
to-do and prosperous. 

While residing in Kendall county, Illi- 
nois. Mr. Willey was married in March, 
1861, to Miss Doris Evers. also a native of 
Germany, who was born in Hanover Aug- 
ust 20, 1828, and there grew to womanhood. 
They have two children, namely: Henry 
W.. who is now operating the home farm, 
married Minnie Echorn, who was born in 



58o 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Iowa of German parentage. Charlotte is 
the wife of William Frudenberg, a business 
man of Chicago, and they have two chil- 
dren, William and Stella. 

On becoming an American citizen Mr. 
Willev voted for Abraham Lincoln in i860. 
and at each presidential election since that 
time has supported the nominees of the Re- 
publican party. Although reared in the 
Lutheran faith he and his wife now hold 
membership in the [Methodist Episcopal 
church and are people of the highest respect- 
ability, having the confidence and esteem of 
all who know them. 



ALFRED DANIELS. 

During all of his life Air. Daniels made 
his home in Webster county. He was born 
here December 6, 1859, and was a son of 
Daniel and Alary ( Bennett) Daniels, natives 
of Ohio, a record of whom appears else- 
where in this volume. His boyhood was 
passed in the uneventful manner character- 
istic of farmers' sons, alternating attendance 
at the district school in the winter with 
work on the home farm in the summer; and 
on leaving school he turned his attention en- 
tirelv to agriculture, which he followed, with 
the excqrtion of short intervals, during the 
remaining years of his life. 

The marriage of Air. Daniels took place 
in Homer, Iowa. April 9, 1890, and united 
him with Miss Edith Ding-man. who was 
born in Hardin county, Iowa, March 4. 
1874. Her parents, William and Elizabeth 
(Loftier) Dingman. were natives of Ohio. 
but settled in Iowa at early ages and were 
married in Hardin county. After some years 
in Iowa they moved to Indiana but soon re- 
turned to Iowa, going from this state to Mis- 



souri, and finally returning to Hardin coun- 
ty. Iowa. Somewhat later they settled on a 
farm south of Homer, where they now make 
their home. In religion they are connected 
with the United Brethren church, toward 
the maintenance of which they have been 
contributors. Politically he has always 
voted with the Republican party. His wife 
was twice married, her first husband having" 
been Henry McClarran, by whom she had a 
son, Henry. The latter married Sarah Mil- 
ler and still lives at Mason City, Iowa. 

Twelve children comprised the family of 
William and Elizabeth Dingman. Of these 
we note the following: Samuel, of Webster 
City, married Addie Daniels and after her 
death was united with Dora Burddorf; 
Alary is the wife of Alexander Pearce, of 
Homer, Iowa; Isaac married Sarah Whaley 
and lives on a farm near Homer; Ellen was 
first married to Madison Wheely and after 
his death became the wife of William Emly. 
of Webster City ; Charles, of Homer, Iowa v 
married Addie Morgan, who is now de- 
ceased ; Sarah died at the age of twenty- 
four years ; Ulysses resides with his parents ; 
George married Lulu Crane and resides in 
the vicinity of Homer; Kate is the wife of 
Harry Dayton, of Webster City : Frank 
makes his home with his parents; Edith is 
the widow of Alfred Daniels, the subject of 
this sketch ; and Lizzie married Alichael Lil- 
legard, of Webster township. To the union 
of Alfred Daniels and Edith Dingman there 
were born three children, who are named as 
follows: Daniel W.. born March 1. 1891 ; 
Erwin L., July 13. 1S9J; and Charles Mc- 
Kinley, August 22, 1895. 

For a time during his early life Alfred 
Daniels traveled with Forepaugh's circus 
and later with Ringling Brothers as the 
"Champion Fat Alan.'* his weight being then 
about 500 pounds. After his marriage he 




ALFRED DANIELS 




MRS. ALFRED DANIELS 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



585 



moved to a farm of two hundred and forty 
acres on section 9, Webster township, and 

here he engaged in agricultural pursuits un- 
til his death, which occurred March 13, 
1899, at the age of forty years, three months 
and seven days. After he attained his ma- 
jority he always voted with the Republicans 
and supported their men and measures. As 
a member of various official boards of his 
township he served with credit to himself 
and satisfaction to his fellow citizens. While 
he did not affiliate with any denomination he 
was of a religious turn of mind and an earn- 
est heliever in the doctrines of Christian it}-. 
Since the death of Mr. Daniels, the su- 
pervision of his estate has fallen into the 
hands of Mrs. Daniels, who has proved her- 
self a capable business woman, possessing 
more than ordinary executive ability, and 
with the judgment and sagacity necessary 
for the many responsibilities connected witli 
the work. Recently she made needed altera- 

m the farm house, which has tli 
been transformed into a neat and commo- 
dious residence. The barns are substantial 
and well adapted to their special purposes. 
Altogether the farm is conceded to b< 
of the best improved in the township, and 
the high standard of cultivation under which 
it is maintained proves the efficient oversight 
of the owner. In addition to the raising of 
general farm products, high grade stock are 

n the farm, a specialty being mai 
shorthorn cattle. 



I. W. W I 



Ability as a farmer is inherited by Mr. 
Welch from a long line of agricultural an- 
cestors, the earliest of win n 1 their 

28 



han ests anion- the mi regi< ms of 

Wales. He was born January 19, 1854, and 

his parents, who are now residing on 51 
23, Burnside township, were also horn and 
reared in America. The father has 
twice married, and Mr. Welch is one of the 
children of the second union, his mother's 
maiden name having been Wheeler. The 
other children in the family are: William, 
who married Nelsie Marshall and lives in 
Gowrie, Webster county, Iowa; Adam, who 
married Kate Bibey and lives in Oklahoma; 
Marion, who married Alary A. Manchester 
and lives in Burnside; Ella, who is the wife 
of Richard V. Manchester, and lives on sec- 
tion 28, Burnside township ; Theodore, who 
married Amy Pringh and lives in Lehigh 
township; and Alfred, who married Geo 
Fry and resides in Oklahoma. 

Interspersed with the arduous duties 
which he performed on his father's farm, 
was the opportunity during the winter 
months to attend the disl 
which Mr. Welch availed himself with dili- 
gence and forethought. When able to de- 
vote his entire time to the farm he still re- 
mained at home, and at Gowrie, March 4, 
1876, married Elvira J. Manchester, who 
h in in Greene county, [ova, December 
20, 1857. Her parents now live on section 
lurnside township, her father, who i.s 
of English descent, having been born in 
America, while her mother is a native of 
Pennsylvania. Mrs. Welch has 
ters and four brothers: Ella lives on sec- 
,;, Burnside township; Walter S. mar- 
ried Minnie Reefer and lives on sectii n X, 
Burnside township; John Edwin married 
Otilla Carlson and lives in the state of Wash- 
rtha C. married Edward Town- 
send and lives in Minnesota; Frank is un- 
married and lives at home; May is a school 



5«6 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



teacher and lives at home ; and Jesse was 
formerly a teacher and lives with his par- 
ents. 

For six years after his marriage Mr. 
Welch continued to manage the home farm, 
after which he bought forty acres of land 
which he improved and which he disposed 
of at the end of six years. He afterward 
purchased the one hundred and sixty-acre 
farm upon which he is now living, and 
which is under a high state of cultivation. 
A large and comfortable residence has been 
erected by Mr. Welch and his barns and 
other improvements are on an equally mod- 
ern anil convenient scale. 

Four interesting children. help to create 
a delightful home atmosphere and give 
promise of future comfort and usefulness. 
Elsie was born November 23. 1SS0; Floyd, 
April 11, 1S85; Myrtle, September 0, 1887; 
and Clifford V., June 7. 1900. Mr. Welch 
i prominent in the affairs of the township 
and is of practical help in the development 
of any wisely thought out plan of improve- 
ment, lie is a member of the Christian 
church, as is also his wife, and both con- 
trihute toward the maintenance of their 
chosen denomination. As a stanch Repub- 
lican he has been called upon to till many 
positions of trust and responsibility, and is 
at the present time township trustee, super- 
visor and treasurer of the school hoard. 



CHARLES HEILEMAN. 

Charles Heileman. deceased, was one of 
the leading citizens of Fort Dodge for some 
years and was prominently identified with 
its interests. He won by an honorable, up- 
r : glit life, an untarnished name, and the 
record which he left behind him is one well 
worthy of emulation. 



Mr. Heileman was born in Lammsdorf, 
Germany, on the 13th of February, 1.^52, 
and was one of a family of five children, 
having three brothers and one sister. His 
father, William Heileman, came to this 
country about 1875 and lived with his 
children up to the time of his death, which 
occurred in 1900 at the age of ninety-one 
} ears. Our subject was reared and edu- 
cated in the land of his birth, and first came 
to America in 1869, taking up his residence 
in Fort Dodge, Iowa,, but afterward re- 
turned to the fatherland. He remained 
there only a short time, however, and on 
again coming to the new world settled in 
Fort Dodge, where he continued to make 
his home throughout the remainder of his 
life. During his early residence here he 
worked at the plasterer's trade, and then 
with a partner engaged in the brick and tile 
business from 1882 up to the time of his 
death. 

On the 6th of June, 1878, Mr. Heileman 
was united in marriage with Miss Anna 
Theis, of Fort Dodge, a daughter of Chris 
and Anna ( Kriembring) Theis, who were 
natives of Germany and farming people. 
( >ur subject and his wife became the par- 
ents of four children, namely: Anna, horn 
February 10, 1879, is now a milliner; Fred, 
born March 25, 1881, follows farming; and 
Gertrude, horn June 26, 1885, and Carl, 
born January 22, 1891, are both at home. 

With the hope of benefiting his health, 
Mr. Heileman, in company with his wife and 
sister, went to Colorado in July, 1895, hut 
not meeting with the desired results, they 
returned to Fort Dodge, where he died May 
21, 1896, honored and respected by all who 
knew him. He was an active member of 
the ( iennan Lutheran church, to which his 
family also belongs, and commanded the 
confidence and esteem of all with whom he 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



537 



came in contact, either in business or social 
life. He was public-spirited and progres- 
sive, and gave his support to all enterprises 
for the public good. For three terms he 
was an efficient member of the city council 
and was creditably tilling that office when 
called to his final rest. In politics he was 
independent and always voted for the man 
best suited for the office, regardless of party 
line-. 

■> « ♦ 

RASMUS S. LUXD. 

With the agricultural interests of Web- 
ster county Rasmus S. Lund has long been 
identified, and he now owns and operates a 

; 1 farm of one hundred and sixty acres 

"ii section 10, Badger township, a part of 
which is within the corporate limits of the 
village of Badger. The fields are well tilled, 
the buildings are good and substantial; and 
everything about the place testifies to the 
careful supervision of a painstaking owner 
who thoroughly understands his ch< sen oc- 
cupation. 

Mr. Lund was born in La Salle county, 
Illinois. January 12. 1864. a sun of Andrew 
and Christina Lund,, natives of Norway, 
where their marriage was celebrated. The 
father was reared upon a farm and in boy- 
hood became thoroughly familiar with all 
departments of farm work. On his emigra- 
tion to the United States in 1855 he first 
settled in La Salle county, Illinois, and 
bought a farm near Streator, which he op- 
erated for a number of years. There, five 
of his children were born. In the spring of 
1870 he and his family removed to Web- 
ster county, Iowa, and he bought eight}' 
acres of unimproved land in Badger town- 
ship, which he at once commenced to break 
and cultivate. Later he purchased more 



land from time to time until he finally 
owned three hundred and twentv acres im- 
proved with good buildings ami under a 
high state of cultivation. His success in life 
was due to his own industry and well-di- 
rected labors, as well as the assistance of 
his sons, and he became one of the prosper- 
ous citizens of the county. His last days 
were spent upon the farm and there he died 
on the 2nd of Xovember, 1896. His 
wife, who still survives him, continues to 
reside on the old homestead, but rents the 
farm. 

The subject of this sketch was a child of 
six years when he came with the family to 
this county, and his boyhood and youth 
were spent upon the home farm. He at- 
tended private schools and supplemented his 
early education by one term of study in the 
Fort Dodge schools. At the age of seven- 
teen he accepted a position as fireman on 
the Illinois Central Railroad, and was in the 
employ of that company five years, after 
which he was with the St. Paul & Duluth 
Railroad in the same capacity for a time. 
I le was then pr< moted to engineer and held 
that position until 1897 when he returned 
home and bought the farm where he now 
resides. Since then he has engaged in farm- 
ing and stock raising with marked success. 

On the 6th of April, 1889, in Badger 
township, Air. Lund was united in marriage 
with Miss Anna Christenson, a native of 
Norway and a daughter of Knut Christen- 
son, who brought his family to America in 
1869 and first located in Benton county, 
Iowa, but seven years later removed to 
Webster county, where Mrs. Lund was 
principally reared and educated. Our sub- 
ject and his wife have one child. O >ra. 

Mr. Lund gives his political support to 
the Republican party, having been one of 
its stanch supporters since casting his first 



588 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



presidential vote for Benjamin Harrison, 
but he has never sought or cared for official 
honors, preferring to give his undivided at- 
tention to his business interests. He takes 
a commendable interest in public affairs, 
however, and is now serving as a member of 
the city council of Badger. Air. Lund is a 
member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive 
Firemen, No. 320, of St. Paul, and is also 
a member of the Ancient Order of United 
Workmen, No. 237, of St. Paul. He is one 
of the leading and representative citizens of 
the town, and both he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the Lutheran church. 



G. A. GUSTAFSON. 

In America labor is king and the sov- 
ereignty that her liberty-loving people ac- 
knowledge is that of business. The men of 
influence in a community in this enlightened 
age are its enterprising, progressive repre- 
sentatives of commercial interests and to this 
class belongs Air. Gustafson, who is now 
successfully engaged in the grain and stock 
business at Dayton. Iowa. 

1 [e was born on the 14th of September, 
[846, in Sweden, of which country his par- 
ents. C. A. and Sophia n, were also 
natives. In 1853 the family took passage 
on the Sagadahog. a sailing vessel, which 
1 nlered many severe storms on this pas- 
sage and was ten weeks and four days in 
co issing the Atlantic. Cholera broke out on 
board and one-third of the passengers died. 
On landing in Boston the Gustafson family 
proceeded at once to Toledo, Ohio, where 
the mother died of the same dread disease. 
winch also carried away two sisters of our 
subject, who died during the voyage and 



were buried at sea. After a week spent in 
that city the father and his two sons went to 
Chicago, arriving there in November, 1853. 
They had left their native land in May of 
that year. In Chicago the father worked at 
his trade of carpenter and there he was again 
married in the fall of 1854. his second union 
being with Airs. Mary Johnson, nee Gorin- 
son, who was born in Sweden April 18, 1823. 
In that country her parents spent their en- 
tire lives, her father being a farmer and 
sailor by occupation. "Air. Gustafson and 
his family came to Webster county, Iowa, 
in 1856, and he purchased a farm in Dayton 
township, on which he made his home until 
called to his final rest. Religiously he was 
a member of the Lutheran church, and po- 
litically was identified with the Democratic 
party. His widow still resides on the old 
homestead farm. By his first marriage he 
had four children, hut our subject is now 
the only one living, the other son, C. F., hav- 
ing died in 1870," at the age of twenty-one. 
There were five children by the second union, 
namely : Emma, who married John Peter- 
son, and both died in Denver, Colorado; 
Julia A., wife of A. W. Carlson, of Des 
Aloines ; Alary, wife of Charles Laurens, 
who lives on a farm near Marietta, Iowa; 
Tillie, wife of Henry Lincoln, who resides 
on the old homestead in Dayton township; 
and D. A., a resident of Dayton. By her 
Ei irmer marriage the mother of these children 
had one son, John A., who married Chris- 
tina Johnson and lives in Dayton. 

G- A. Gustafson, of this review, was 
educated at the Richie school house, five 
miles southeast of Dayton, where he pursued 
his studies for about three months during 
the winter until sixteen years of age and then 
devoted his entire time and attention to the 
labors of the farm until he attained his ma- 




G. A. GUSTAFSON 




MRS. G. A. GUSTAFSON 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



593 



jority. He next worked as a machinist in a 
sawmill for two years, and at the end of thai 
time went to Europe, where he spent six 
months m traveling over England, Ireland, 
Norway, Sweden and Germany. On his re- 
turn to the United States Mr. < lustafsi >n pur- 
chased a farm of two hundred and forty 
acres in the southern part of Dayton town- 
ship and was there engaged in agricultural 
pursuits until 1876. lie was next engaged 
in the stock business at Ogden for ft iur years, 
and in t88o came to Dayton, where he has 
since successfully carried on operations as 
a dealer in both sfc ck and grain, shipping 
the first carload of each from this place. 

< hi the 26th of September, 1882, in 
inty, Iowa. Mr. Gustafson mar- 
ried Miss Minnie Liliard, who was born in 
Sweden February 27, 1863, and in 1S75 
to the new world with her parents, An- 
drew and Amy S. (Nelson) Liliard. On 
landing in Boston they journeyed westward 
to Dayton, Iowa, and are now living in 
They have a family of seven chil- 
dren, namely: Minnie, wife of our subject; 
Alma, wife of Jake Held, of I',. ne; Tillie. 
wife of Fred Eighmy, of Ames; Fred, a res- 
ident of Clinton; Eric and Henry, both of 
Boone; and Albert and Frank. Mr. ami 
Mrs. Gustafson are the parents of four chil- 
dren, whose names and dates of birth are as 
follows: Charles H., May i~ , 1884; Josie, 
July 29, 1885; Hiram G, May 10. 189] : and 
Edna, March 17, 1 S< ^ 5 . 

In his social relations Mr. Gustafson is 
a member of Dayton Lodge, No. 5711. A. 
F. & A. M.. and he attends the Methodist 
Episcopal church, of which his wife is a 
member. The Republican party has always 
fottnd in him a stanch supporter of its prin- 
ciples, and since coming to Dayton he has 
been prominentlv identified with municipal 
affairs. He has always been a member of 



the city council and was mayor for three 
terms. He stands high in both business and 

social circle- and well-merits the high regard 
in which he is held. 



C. M. TAPPER. 



Xo better illustration of the characti 
tic energy and enterprise of the typical 
Swedish-American citizen can he found 
than that afforded by the career of this 
gentleman, now a well-known resident of 
Dayton. Coming to this country with no 
capital except his abilities he has made his 
way to success through wisely-directed ef- 
Forl and can now look back with satisfaction 
upon past struggles. 

Mr. Tapper was horn August 2. 1825, 
in Sweden, where his parents, Peter and 
Anna (Johnson) Nelson, spent their 1 

In their family were seven children. 
of whom one died in infancy. Of the others 
our subject is the oldest. Louise died in 
Sweden in 1858 at the age of twenty-five 
years. John August, who came i 
in 1855, married Mrs. Harriet Schauffer 
and resides in Mendota, Illinois. Caroline 
married Daniel Dohlen and resided in 
Princeton. Illinois, but both are now de- 
ceased. Anna Sophia came to America in 
1865 and her husband, Mr. Lindberg, died 
in Princeton. Illinois, in 1877, hut she is still 
a resident of that place. Isaac Thomas em- 
igrated to the new world in r868 and is now 
living in the west. 

The education of our subject was con- 
fined to four months attendance in a mili- 
tar\ school of Sweden. He served eleven 
years in the Swedish army and was honora- 
bly discharged while holding the rank of 
corporal. Before leaving his native land 



594 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



he was married, December 26, 1848, to 
Miss Melvina Vulcan, whose parents were 
lifelong residents of Wadstena, Sweden, her 
father being the artist for the royal family 
at Stockholm. She is one of a family of 
ten children, only two of whom are now 
living, the other being Mrs. Gustave Han- 
son, a resident of Boston. 

At Gottenborg, in 1855, Mr. Tapper 
and his family took passage on a sailing 
vessel, the Anna Washburn, commanded 
by Captain Mitchell, afterward converted 
into a frigate during the Civil war. After 
a stormy voyage of six weeks and three 
days duration, they landed at Boston, and 
from that city went to Chicago, remaining 
there until August 12, 1865. For three 
years Mr. Tapper worked at the stone ma- 
son's trade in Chicago, and on leaving that 
city went to Mendota, Illinois, where he 
rented land and engaged in farming for ten 
years. In 1869 he came to Webster county, 
Iowa, and bought eighty acres of land at 
five dollars per acre. This tract was all 
wild and unimproved, but lie at once set to 
work to break the land and erect buildings 
thereon and during the twenty-six vears he 
resided there he converted the place into one 
of the best improved and most desirable 
farms of the locality. He prospered in his 
farming operations and is to-day the owner 
of eight\- acres of land in Elkhorn township; 
one hundred and sixty acres in Sumner 
township; and five acres in Otho township, 
besides his property in the village of Day- 
ton, where he has lived a retired life since 
1897 surrounded by all the comforts of life. 

Mr. and Mrs. Tapper have a family of 
three children: (1) Ellen Augusta, horn 
April 27, 1850, was married in 1869 1" 
John Hawk, who died in 1888. She now 
resides in Winterset, Iowa, and has four 
children: Ira T., Clara, I. vie and Mabel. 



(2) John G., horn May 5, 1853, was grad- 
uated at Rush Medical College, Chicago, 
and is now successfully engaged in practice 
in Elgin, Illinois. His wife, who bore tlie 
maiden name of Hettie Stone, died in that 
city January 16, 1899. leaving one child. 
Charles. (3) Anna Matilda, born Novem- 
ber 7, 1855, in Chicago, was married in 
1875 to Henry Hawk and now lives in Win 
terset, Iowa. 

Since casting his first presidential vote 
for Abraham Lincoln Air. Tapper has been 
a stanch supporter of the Republican party, 
and he has efficiently filled the offices of 
school director and township trustee. Both 
he and his wife are active and prominent 
members of the Swedish Evangelical Luth- 
eran church, of Dayton, which they assisted 
in building, and have also aided in the erec- 
tion of two others — one in Callender and 
the other in Burnside. Wherever known 
they are held in high regard and have a host 
i'i warm friends throughout Webster 

county. 

+*—+■ 

JOHN REDMAN. 

John Redman, the owner of two hundred 
and eighty acres of land on sections 4 and 
10, Elkhorn township, was born at Grand 
Ridge, I. a Salle county. Illinois. February 
6, 1804, a son of Andrew J. and Sarah 
(Bunger) Redman, natives of Ohio. The 
parents were married in Ohio and rem< ived 
to La Salle county, Illinois, in iNoj, where 
the father bought land, upon which he still 
lives, lie is a Republican politically and is 
affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal 
church. Eight children constituted his fam- 
ily, namely : Etbalinda. who is the wife 
of Taylor Rutter and lives in Webster 
countv, Iowa; James, who married Edith 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



595 



Kime and lives in La Salle county, Illinois; 
John, of this review; Samuel, who first mar- 
ried Anna Shape and second Nora Mackey, 
and lives in La Salle county, Illinois; Will- 
iam, called by his intimates "Doc," who 
married Florence Lang-ley and resides in 
Webster county, Iowa; Eva, wife of Henry 
Pn \ ance. of La Salle county. Illinois. An- 
drew, who is unmarried and resides in Illi- 
nois; and Lee. who married Daisy Law and 
lives in La Salle county. Illinois. 

Educationally Mr. Redman had for- 
tunate opportunities, and after attending 
for a time the public schools at Streator, 
Illim is. went to Adrian. Michigan, and en- 
tered the college there. Upon returning to 
Streator he engaged in further study and 
passed a successful examination which per- 
mitted of his entrance to the university at 
Bloomington. Owing to an affection of the 
eyes he was obliged to abandon ambitious 
plans for further education when twenty- 
five years of age. and he therefore returned 
to La Salle county, Illinois, and engaged 
in tilling and farming. 

On November 26, 1891, at Grand Ridge, 
Illinois, Mr. Redman married Miss Emily 
Scheerer. who was born in La Salle county, 
March 3, 1873, a daughter of Henry 
Scheerer. one of the influential men of the 
early days of that county. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Redman have been born four children, 
namely: Paul L.. born January 28, [893; 
Josephine L., October 8, 181.14; Earl A.. 
August 10, 1898; and Dessie M.. January 
29, 1900. The three oldest children were 
born in La Salle county, Illinois, and the 
youngest in Webster county, Iowa. 

After his marriage Mr. Redman con- 
tinued to live in La Salle county, where he 
engaged in farming until 1899, when he re- 
ed to Elkhorn township, Webster coun- 
ty, Iowa, and bought two hundred acre- of 



land on section 4. He has been remarkably 
successful and nows owns eighty acres in 
addition to his original purchase, and is 
besides possessor of considerable Illinois 

property. The Iowa farm is among the best 
improved in the county, has a tine residence, 
large barns and granaries and cattle sheds, 
and the whole is well fenced and watered. 
Mr. Redman is identified with the Re- 
puplican part}' hut has never sought or de- 
sired public office. Fraternally he is a mem- 
ber of the Modern Woodmen of America, 
Camp No. 438, at Fort Lodge, and he at- 
tends the Methodist Episcopal church. 
From his German ancestors he has inherited 
thrift and enterprise and needful conserva- 
tism, and is one of the substantial acquisi- 
tions of a prosperous and promising part 
of a great state. 



ANDREW P.. JOHXSOX. 

Among the worthy citizens that Sweden 
has furnished to Webster county, Iowa, is 
this well-known farmer residing on section 
3, Badger township. lie was born near 
Gottenborg, in January, 1842, and was 
reared upon a farm in his native land, be- 

i\ en g I coo 

Resolved to try his fortune 1 n this si< 
the Atlantic, he came to the United States 
in [870 and took up his residence in Cham- 
paign county, Illinois, where he at first 
: on a farm 

ncal and industrious .Mr. 
Ji hnsi u soon 5a 1 ed 1 embark in 

farming on his own account and for six 
years he engaged in operating rented land. 
In the spring of [883 he came to Iowa and 
purchased a partially improved fan 
eight}' acres in Badger township, of which 



596 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



a few acres had been broken and a small 
house erected thereon. To its further de- 
velopment and cultivation he devoted his 
energies with marked success until he 
owned one of the must desirable farms of its 
size in this section of the county. He built 
a good residence and all the necessary nut- 
buildings. He operated that place for sev- 
eral years and in the meantime bought his 
present farm, on which he located in 1893. 
Here he has laid over eight hundred dol- 
lars worth of tiling, while all of the im- 
provements are of a substantial character 
and stand as monuments to the thrift and 
enterprise of the owner, who is acknowl- 
edged to be one of the most progri 
farmers and stock raisers of the township. 
Besides his home farm he owns another ol 
one hundred and sixty acres in Humboldt 
county, only three-quarters of a mile away, 
making two hundred and eighty acres in all. 
This property has all been acquired through 
his own industry, perseverance and 
management, as he commenced life in the 
new world without capital or the assistance 
of influential friends. 

On the 14th of April. 1876, in Cham- 
paign county, Illinois, Mr. Johnson led to 
the marriage altar Miss Bertha Anderson, 
whn was born and reared in Norway, and 
on coming to America in 1874 settled in 
Champaign county, Illinois. They have two 
sons: John A., who married Martha John- 
son, of Webster county, and is now operat- 
ing his father's farm in Humboldt county; 
and Albert A., who assists in carrying on 
the home farm. The parents hold member- 
ship in the Lutheran church, of Badger, 
and Mr. Johnson is identified with the Re- 
publican party, having always voted that 
ticket. His ambition has not led him to 
enter public life, as he prefers to give his 
undivided attention to his farming interests. 



He is one of the representative men of his 
community and is held in high regard by 
all who know him. 



CHARLES STEVENS. 

The subject of this sketch is essentially 
a self-made man, his success in life being due 
to his own unaided efforts, and the pros- 
perity that has come to him is certainly 
well deserved. He is to-day one of the rep- 
resentative farmers of Gowrie township, 
owning and operating a good farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres on section 20. 

Mr. Stevens was horn near Ban 
Maine, April 6, 1828, a son of Daniel and 
Mary (Starbird) Stevens, also natives of 
Id Pine Tree state, where they were 
married. In 1834 they removed to M 
county, Ohio, where in the midst of the 
wilderness the lather cleared and improved 
a farm, making his home there until 1851, 
when lie went to Hancock comity, Illinos, 
and opened up another farm. Upon the 
latter place he made his home until called 
to hi- linal rest. He was hom in ijigs. and 
died August 14. [865, while his wife was 
horn December 5, [800, and passed away 
June 15, 1877. 

On the old home farm in .Meigs county, 
Charles Stevens grew to manhood, 
and as his school privileges were limited he 
is almost wholly self-educated. As his 
father was a wheelwright and carpenter, he 
early became familiar with all kinds of tools, 
and was employed as a mechanic for some 
years. 

Mr. Stevens ws married in Meigs coun- 
ty, Ohio, April 30. 1851, to Miss Mary J. 
Bellows, who was horn in Nelsonville, that 
state, July 7, 1831, a daughter of S. C. and 







>$%* 


^■^.^"^^^ ' ~ 


Hh«^ 


r 


jink' A 


i ; 


f 




I 


• 



CHARLES STEVENS 





MRS. CHARLES STEVENS 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



60 1 



.Ruth (Vanderhoof) Bellows. Her father 
was born in New Jersey in 1795, and, re- 
ceiving a college education; he afterward 
followed the professii teaching and 

surveying in Ohio for many years. Air. 
and Mrs. Stevens are the pari 
children, two sons and four daughters, 
namely: Charles is married and resides in 
Aclaza. Iowa; Edwin C. met death by acci- 
dent. November 21, [885, at the age of 
twenty-one years; Luella T. and Emma V. 
live' with their parents: Lilly May is the 
wife of Albert Moburg, of Gowrie; and 
Nettie Belle is the wife- of Charles Malm. 
a farmer living near Callender in Roland 
diip. 
After his marriage Air. Stevens fol- 
lowed farming in Ohio until 1852, when he 
removed t< is, and 

there engaged in the same pursuit for sev- 
eral years. In the meantime the country 
ne involved in civil war and he en- 
listed in February. 1865, in Company F, 
One Hundred and Fifty-first Illinois Vol- 
unteer Infantry, which was assigned to the 
Army of the Cumberland. He remained in 
the service until after the close of the war, 
doing guard and -arris, n duty, and was at 
length honorably discharged at Columbus, 
Georgia, in January. 1866. Two of his 
brothers also entered the army and on 
in the service as the result of a gunshot re- 
ceived during the first attack on Vicksburg, 
and die .flier within a month after his dis- 
charge. Just before bis death the ' 
wn >te the follow ing 1< 

"Dear Father and Mother: 

"I take perhaps the last opportunity of 
writing you a few lines. I received a severe 
wound on the boat before leaving Ya.- 
a shot from one of the rebel skirmishers who 
attacked the boat just before we left, killing 



.ne instantly anil wounding three others. 
The hall struck me in the mouth and lodged 

in the left side of the neck, earn 
teeth with it. To-day while 1 was gargling 
water in my throat it caused bleeding 
and 1 came near bleeding to death lie: 

could he stopped. 1 have no hopes of ever 
getting well. If I should not, don't mourn 

fur me hut remember that I died an 
death and in a good cause. Disp 
little property I have in a way that will make 
you the most o mfortable. The exped 
that unwed against Vicksburg pro\ 
failure, a great many men lust and nothing 
accomplished. The skirmishers tired out 
and opened on them which soon put 
them to flight. The tire was returned by 
oys. Edwin C. Stevens." 

After his return home Mr. Stevens 
worked at the wagon maker's trade for five 
years, and then I rming in Illinois 

\\o years. In March, • 1882, he re- 

■d to Webster a amty, h wn. whii 
had visited the previous September, 
purchased one hundred and sixty acres of 
land, only a few acres of which had been 
broken, but there was m 1 a tree, bush or 
building upon the place. To the imp 
ment and cultivation of this place Ik 
since devoted hi- tint ergies. and 

now hi 
buildings, surrounded by fruit 

1 le ;ds, i 
four acres, and owns a In wrie. 

Tie started 1 tit himself empty- 

d, and his pr< sperity is <\\k- to his own 

industry, enterprise and good management. 

In early life Mr. Stevens was a Whig, 

but since voting for Abraham Lincoln in 

das always affiliated with the Repub- 
lican party. While living in Illinois he 
served as highway commissioner, but has 



602 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



never sought or cared for political honors. 
He is connected with the Grand Army of 
the Republic, and he and his family hold 
membership in the Congregational church. 
On the 30th of April, 1901, Mr. and Mrs. 
Stevens celebrated their golden wedding, on 
which occasion their children and many 
friends, to the number of seventy-five, gave 
them a pleasant surprise, and on leaving 
left many tokens of their good will and 
esteem. This worthy couple are widely and 
favorably known and are held in the highest 
regard by the entire community. 



HERBERT J. MACK. 

With the agricultural and stock raising 
interests of Webster county Herbert J. 
Mack has practically been identified since 
the spring of 1864, and has materially aided 
in the development and upbuilding of this 
section of the state. He now owns and op- 
erates a fine farm of one hundred and seven 
acres on section 6, Roland township, where 
he has made his home since the spring of 
1885. 

Mr. Mack claims Vermont as his native 
state, his birth occurring in Addison county 
on the 12th of April, 1852. His father, 
John O. Mack, was also born in Vermont in 
1824, and was a son of James Mack, a na- 
tive O'f New England and the son of a Rev- 
olutionary soldier. On reaching manhood 
the father of our subject was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Sarah Morton, also a na- 
tive of the Green Mountain state, and there 
they made their home until after the birth of 
four of their children. Mr. Mack being en- 
gaged in farming in Addison county. In 
1863 he came west and after spending about 
a year in Hardin county, Iowa, he took up 



his residence in Webster county in the 
spring of 1864. having previously purchased 
a tract of land in Elkhorn township, where 
he improved a farm of three hundred and 
twenty acres. Being a man of sterling 
worth and strict integrity be became one of 
the most prominent citizens of his commun- 
ity, and was widely and favorably known 
throughout the county. He held several 
local offices of honor and trust. After a 
useful and well-spent life he died upon his 
farm in 1893. His wife still survives him 
and now lives with a son and daughter in 
Fort Dodge. 

Herbert J. Mack was twelve years old 
on coming to this county and until he at- 
tained his majority he gave his father the 
benefit of his services in improving and 
carrying on the home farm. He then 
worked at the carpenter's trade through the 
summer months for two years, while he 
engaged in teaching school during the win- 
ter. On the old homestead farm, October 
9. 1874. was celebrated his marriage with 
Miss Emeline Names, who was born near 
De Witt, Clinton county, Iowa, where her 
father. Alonzo Names, settled on coming to 
this state from New York at an early day- 
She remained in Clinton county until com- 
ing to Webster county when a young lady, 
and here made the acquaintance of the gen- 
tleman to whom she afterward gave her 
band in marriage. They have three chil- 
dren, namely: Minnie E., who was edu- 
cated at Tobin College. Fort Dodge, and 
engaged in teaching school two terms prior 
to her marriage to B. L. Ham, who is now 
engaged in the implement business in Som- 
ers, Iowa; Sadie C, wife of John AA". King, 
;. farmer of Roland township; and John E., 
who aids bis father in carrying on the home 
farm. 

Mr. Mack operated a part of the old 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



603 



home farm for six years after his marriage 
and then followed the same pursuit in Clay 
county for two years. In the spring of [885 
he located on his present farm on section 
G, Roland township, Webster county, built 
a small house and began to till the soil. He 
has since erected a more commodious and 
better residence, built a large barn and sub- 
stantial outbuildings and now has a well 
improved farm. He raises a good grade of 
stock, carrying on that entei prise in con- 
nection with his farming operations. 

Like his father before him Mr. Mack- 
is unswerving in his allegiance to the Re- 
publican party, having supported all of its 
presidential candidates since voting for 
Rutherford Ik Hayes in 1876, soon after at- 
taining his majority. He has been a dele- 
gate to numerous county conventions and 
has taken quite an active part in local poli- 
tics. He has filled the office of commis- 
sioner of highways and is now serving his 
tenth year as assessor of Roland township. 
For several years he was also an efficient 
member of the scho 1 board. Religiously 
he and his wife are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church. 



M. F. AXDERSOX. D. D. S., M. D. 

This well-known and popular dentist of 
1 layton, Iowa, was born on the 18th of Sep- 
tember. 1867, in Gottenborg, Sweden, but 
was not yet two years old on the emigration 
of the family to America in the spring of 
1869. Up to that time his parents. Andrew 
and Anna (Johnson) Anderson, had spent 
their entire lives in Sweden. They landed 
in New York on the Jjd of April, and hav- 
ing determined to settle in the west, they 
went to Muscatine count}', Iowa, where the 
father purchased land and engaged in farm- 



ing with good success for many vears. He 
died on the 9th of November, 1901. at the 
advanced age of seventy-seven years, and 
his wife is now living in Galesburg, Illinois, 
honored and respected by all who know her. 
In their family are six children, namely: 
Amanda, wife of A. P. Hagstrom, of Gales- 
burg: Emma, wife of D. L. Peterson, of 
the same city: Lena, who is engaged in the 
tailoring business in Galesburg; M. F., of 
this review : Effie. who is engaged in the 

dry g L business in Galesburg; and J. 

E., who was formerly a dentist of Des 
Moines, but recently went to the Klondike 
and is now located at Dawson City. 

Dr. Anderson obtained his early edu- 
cation in the district schools of Muscatine 
county and was graduated at the high school 
of Muscatine with the class .if 1889. He 
then took up the study of dentistry at the 
State University, where he was graduated 
in [892 with the degree of D. 1 >. S., and 
soon afterward opened an office in Dayton, 
where he has since engaged in the practice 
of his chosen profession with marked suc- 
cess, having built up a large and lucrative 
practice. In [897 he again took a course 
at the State University, and w as graduated 
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, 
at Des Moines in 1900. It will thus be 
seen that he is a close student of his profes- 
sion, and lie well merits the liberal pa 
age he receives. 

At Dayton, June -'5. 1895, Dr. Ander- 
1 to the marriage altar Miss Effie Mar- 
tindale. who was born in Epworth, Iowa, 
April 14, 1874, a daughter of Elijah and 
Anna Martindale, who are now living in 
Dayton. She has one brother, William, who 
1 attending the State University. To the 
Doctor and his wife have been born 
children: Leona Irene. August 31, [896; 
ami Ronald Martindale. Septembers. 



6o4 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Politically Dr. Anderson is a Rq)ub- 
lican and at local elections supports the men 
and measures which he believes will best 
advance the interests of the people. He 
takes quite an active interest in civic so- 
cieties and is a prominent member of Oak 
Lodge, No. 531, A. F. & A. M.; Delta 
Chapter, No. 51, R. A. M. ; Calvary Cbm- 
mandery, No. 24, K. T. ; Kaaba Temple, 
A. A. O. X. M. S. : Granite Lodge, No. 
332, K. of P.: Seni-Om-Sed Temple. No. 
9, I ). ( >. K. K., of ] )es Moines, and Lincoln 
Homestead Lodge of American Yeoman. 



JONAS 0LDHE1ME. 

The landed estate of Mr. Oldheime is 
licient size and importance to give him 
a position among the prosperous and suc- 
cessful property owners of Webster town- 
ship, where he has made his home since 
coming to Webster county. The farm 
which he owns and occupies comprises two 
hundred and ninety acres, lying on sections 
5, 8 and 9, his residence being on section 
8. 1 mring the years that have elapsed since 
he came here his attention has been closely 
given to placing the land under proper cul- 
tivation and putting it in condition to bear 
abundant harvests. Besides his homestead 
property he is the owner of a quarter section 
of land in South Dakota and has a one-half 
interest in a tract of three hundred and 
twenty acres, also in that state. 

The family of which Mr. Oldheime is 
r. member settled in Pennsylvania in an 
early day; in fact, at a period so early in 
our national history that the house they 
built was necessarily made very substantial 
in order to withstand the attacks of the In- 
dians and it was also made of sufficient 
size to enable the family to store provisions 



for a possible siege. The grandfather was 
a soldier in war of 1812, serving with a 
Pennsylvania regiment. The parents of Mr. 
Oldheime were William and Elizabeth 
(Lantz) Oldheime, natives respectively of 
I ngland and Pennsylvania, and made their 
home in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, 
where their son, Jonas, was born Septem- 
ber 15, 1837. Shortly afterward the father 
was drowned in the canal and the mother 
later became the wife of Eli Williams, a na- 
tive of Pennsylvania. Accompanied by her 
son, they removed to Harrisburg, and there 
the mother died in February, 1844, leaving 
two sons, Jonas Oldheime and John Will- 
iams, the latter a resident of East St. Louis, 
Illinois. 

.1 time after his mother's death Mr. 
( lldheime made his home with his grand- 
father but later he was taken by a cousin, 
Jacob Lantz, with whom he remained until 
he was old enough to make his own way in 
the world. When sixteen he began to learn 
the blacksmith's trade, at which he served 
an apprenticeship of two and one-half years, 
and then found employment as a journey- 
man in Cumberland county for one year- 
At that time many young men were seeking 
the west as a desirable place to locate, and 
he decided also to seek a home where op- 
portunities were greater than in the east. 
For eighteen months he lived at Mount 
Zion, Illinois, and from there started E 
Pikes Peak at the time of the great excite- 
ment caused by the discovery of gold in 
Colorado mountains. However, he pro- 
ceeded only as far as Leavenworth, Kansas. 
when discouraging reports from the gold 
fields caused him to return to Illinois. 1 lur- 
ing the ensuing summer he was employed at 
Chatham. Next he spent a year at Monti- 
cello, Piatt county, and then went back to 
Mount Zion for a few months, later settling 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



605 



at Elwin. five miles south of Decatur, Ma- 
con county, where lie remained from the 
spring- of 1861 until the fall of 1865, mean- 
time following the blacksmith's trade. On 
making another removal he settled in Web- 
ster county, [owa, having traded his Illi- 
nois property fur eighty acres, where he now 
lives. Eew improvements had been made 
on the land. A house of hewed legs pro- 
tected the family from the elements until, 
in later years, a modern ami commodious 
residence was built. From time to time ad- 
ditions were made to the property, which 
is now not only large in area hut fully im- 
proved and equipped with all the con- 
veniences of farm life. 

At Elwin, Macon county, Illinois, Aug- 
ust 14, 1862, Mr. Oldheime married Har- 
riet Adeline Widick, who was born in that 
county December 12, 1845, being one of 
nine children horn to Riel and. Mary Ann 
(Lynch) Widick. One of the nine died in 
infancy; the others are named as follows: 
J. J., who married Mary Walters and lives 
in Homer, [owa; Nanc) Jane, who after the 
death of her first husband, Isaac Widick, 
married Henry Kramer and resided at Fort 
Dodge. Iowa, until her death in 1S74 ; Ha" 
riet Adeline, Mrs. Oldheime; Mary I., who 
after the death of her first husband, 
Thomas Ellis, of Saguache, Colorado, be- 
came the wife of Dr. Baird, and now lives in 
ado; Margaret, wife of George Dan- 
of Webster City, Iowa; Sadie, who 
married Commodore Teague and lives at 
Celona, Colorado; Asberry, unmarried, re- 
siding on .Mr. Oldheime's farm; and Alice, 
Mrs. Burton Sparry, of Willmar, Minne- 

The fust wife of Mr. Widick died in 
1863. Two years later he mined to Iowa 
and settled in Webster count)-, near Homer. 
There he married Mrs. Hartman, by whom 



he had four children : Hurt, of Pueblo, Col- 
. llattie, who is married and lives in 
Hamilton county, Iowa; Caddie, wife of 
William Miller, of Webster county ; and one 
that died in infancy. The third marriage of 
Mr. Widick took place in Homer, < 
in [895, and united him with Mrs. Fisher, 
for some years he has been retired from the 
.nine management of a farm and is 
making Homer his place of abode. From 
early life he has been a member of the Re- 
publican party and a communicant of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. The family 
of .Mr. and Mrs. Oldheime consists of three 
children : Lizzie, Frank and May. The 
older daughter is now the wife of I. M. 
Shaefer, whose home is near Websti 
in Hamilton county. Iowa, and they have 
one child. Ilarley. May is now the wife of 
William Lang and resides in Lehigh, Web- 
ster county. 

Ever since coming to Iowa Mr. Old- 
heime has proved his good citizenship by 
taking an active part in matters contributing 
to the welfare of his township audi count)' 
and has held the majority of the township 
5, rendering efficient service in all. For 
some years he has had stock in the First 
National Lank, of Lehigh, and now is 
nected with its hoard of directors. Though 

1 ive in politics lie has firm c< mvii 
on political questions and believes thor- 
oughly in the wisdom of Republican prin- 
ciples. In relii te and his wife a 
the Me'thodisl Episcopal faith. 



CARL CHRISTENSON. 

Among the wide-awake and energetic 

citizens of Webster county whose lives have 

agricultural pursuits is Carl 

Christenson, wb on section 2, 



6o6 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Badger township. He proudly claims Iowa 
as his native state, his birth having occurred 
in Benton county on the 14th of July. 1870. 
His father. Knude Christenson, was born 
in Norway in 1834, and there he was mar- 
ried in 1853 to Miss Ellen Peterson, also 
a native of the Land of the Midnight Sun. 
They continued to make their home in that 
country until after the birth of ten of their 
children, the father being engaged in farm- 
ing. In 1870 he brought his family to 
America and on landing came direct to 
Iowa, his destination being Benton county, 
where he engaged in farming on rented land 
for several years. In September, 1877, h e 
removed to Webster count}', where he 
had previously purchased eighty acre^ of 
partially improved land, and to its further 
development and cultivation he at once 
turned his attention. Prospering in his 
farming operations in this county he was 
able to add to his landed possessions from 
time to time until he had four hundred acres, 
three hundred and twenty acres being in the 
home farm on section 2, and eighty acres 
on section 11, the same township. He 
continued to actively engaged in his 
chosen < ccupation until his death, which 
occurred December 27, 1887. His wid- 
ow and sons then took charge of the place 
and have since built a more commodi- 
ous and modern residence and a good barn 
and have made many other useful and valu- 
able improvements which add greatly to the 
attractive appearance of the place. 

Of the fourteen children born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Christenson, only four are now living, 
namely : Andrew, a farmer of Hancock 
county, Iowa: Samuel, who now owns and 
operates two hundred acres of his father's 
estate: Anna, wife of R. S. Lund, whose 
sketch appears on another page of this vol- 
ume; and Carl, the subject of this review. 



Carl Christenson was only seven years 
old on the removal of the family to this 
county and here he grew - to manhood, re- 
ceiving a good practical education in the 
local schools and at the same time acquiring 
an excellent knowledge of agricultural pur- 
suits by aiding in the work of the farm. On 
attaining his majority he took charge of the 
home place. He now owns and operates 
two hundred acres — a portion of his father's 
farm — which he has bought. The mother, 
who has sold all her land, now makes her 
home with our subject. 

On the 8th of February, 1893, m Web- 
ster county, was celebrated the marriage 
of Mr. Christenson and Miss Carrie Hagen, 
who was born near Albert Lea, Minnesota, 
and is a daughter of Iver Hagen, a native of 
X< irway. On coming to the new world her 
father settled in Minnesota, but later lived 
in Winnebago county. Iowa, for a time and 
then removed to Idaho. Mrs. Christenson 
spent her early life in all three of those 
states. The four children born to our sub- 
ject and his wife are Ernest, Eva, Ellen 
and Lloyd. 

Politically Mr. Christenson has been a 
lifelong Republican, having affiliated with 
that party since casting his first presidential 
vote for Benjamin Harrison in 1892, but 
he takes no very active part in politics. 
With his wife and mother he holds member- 
ship in the Lutheran church, of Badger, and 
well merits the high esteem in which be is 
uniformly held, having the entire confidence 
and good will of his fellow citizens. 



H. E. NELSON, M. D. 

Prominent among the energetic, enter- 
prising and successful citizens of Dayton, 
is the gentleman whose name introduces this 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



007 



sketch. He has not only met with success 
in the line of his profession, but lias also 
prospered in business affairs, and by Ins con- 
nection with various enterprises and indus- 
tries has materially advanced the interests 
of Dayton and the surrounding country. 

The Doctor was born in Fort Dodge on 
the 9th of December, i860, and is a son of 
August and Matilda (Samuelson) Nelson, 
natives of Sweden, where their marriage 
was celebrated. In 1867 they took passage 
on a sailing vessel and after a voyage of 
seven weeks landed in Xew York city, 
whence they came direct to Dayton, Iowa, 
and took up their abode in a house on 
Main street, the site of which is now occu- 
pied by a barber shop. There the father en- 
gaged in business as a carpenter and con- 
tractor for a year, and then removed to a 
farm in Lost Grove township, west of Day- 
ton, where he followed fanning for one 
year. He then resumed carpentering and 
has since made his home in Fort Dodge, 
where he has served as a member of the city 
council three terms. He is a member of the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the 
Knights of Pythias fraternity, and is a 
Democrat in politics. In his family are 
three children: Emma, wife of Rev. L. 
Larson, now a resident of Essex, Iowa; 
Victor, who was married in [890 to Bessie 
Elliott and lives in Chicago; and H. S., of 
this review! 

Dr. Nelson first attended the common 
schools and later the high school of Fort 
Dodge, where he completed his education. 
He also took a course and was graduated 
from a business college in Fort Dodge and 
was then bookkeeper for a hardware com- 
pany 1 me year. Later he held a similar posi- 
tion with the Andrew Moe Grocery Com- 
pany two years. At the end~of that time he 
entered the medical department of the State 



University at Iowa City, where he was a 
student during the school year of 1890-91, 
and then attended Rush Medical College, 
Chicago, for two years, graduating in 1893, 
with the degree of M. D. He first engaged 
in practice at Lehigh, Iowa, where he re- 
mained twenty-one months, and in [894 
came to Dayton, where he has since fol- 
lowed his chosen profession with marked 
success, having built up a large and lucrative 
practice. 

On the 2J(1 of June. 1898. Dr. Nelson 
was united in marriage with Miss Leona 
Beem, who was born in Lehigh December 
31. 1872, a daughter of W. C. and Jane 
( Nichols) Beem, who were natives of Ohio 
and Pennsylvania, respectively, and were 
married in Lehigh, Iowa, where they still 
live. Their children are Lillie. wife of Sam- 
uel McClure, of Fort Dodge; Mert, also a 
resident of that city and a fireman on the 
Fort Dodge & Omaha Railroad ; Leona, wife 
of our subject; and Minnie and Flovd, who 
live with their father in Lehigh. The Doc- 
tor and his wife have one child, Frances 
June, born June 3, [899. 

In collection with his father-in-law, 
Dr. Nelson is a member of the Lehigh Brick 
& Tile Company, whose works are located 
at Lehigh, and is secretary and treasurer of 
the same. He is also treasurer of the Day- 
ton Investment Company; a stock holder 
of the First National Bank, of Dayton, and 
tlie Mitchell Implement Company, of Fort 
Dodge; and is a member of the Minnesota 
Land Company, of Dayton, which owns 
about three thousand acres of Minnesota 
land. The Doctor is examining physician 
for all of the old line insurance companies 
doing business in Dayton and has served as 
city physician since locating there. He is a 
member of the Webster County, Iowa State 
and American Medical Associations, and is 



6o8 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



niie of the most progressive and popular 
physicians of his native county, as well as 
one of its most energetic and enterprising 
business men. He is also secretary of the 
Dayton Telephone Company and was one 
i>i" its pronn ters and organizers. 



WILLIAM S. EWING. 

The life which this narrative sketches 
began in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, 
August t_\ 1839, and closed in Webster 
county, Iowa, August 12 1896. The fifty- 
seven wars intervening between these two 
dates represented an era of activity and use- 
fulness, during which, through the exercise 
of untiring industry and great perseverance, 
a competent cured in agricultural 

pursuits. 

The parents of William S. Ewing were 
T. and Maria ( r. 1 Stockston) Ew- 
ing, natives of Pennsylvania who, some 
years after their marriage, moved to Illinois, 
settling in Bureau county in 1853. For a 
year the father worked on the Chicago & 
Alton Railroad, after which he cultivated 
farm land for five seasons, first in Bureau 
and later in Putnam counties. From Illi- 
nois hi came to Webster a unity , Iowa 
settled upon a quarter section of raw land. 
As yet not a furrow had been turned in the 
soil. The land remained in the primeval 
condition of nature. The task of breaking 
the ground and preparing it for cultivation 
was no sinecure, but the father and his sons 
had energy, perseverance and patience md 
carried on their work courageously. With 
a team of horses in the lead and a team of 
in following, the land was ploughed and 
brought into preparation for the crops, 
which in due time were planted. Buildings 



were put up as the means of the family per- 
mitted. In time the farm came to he a val- 
uable property. In 1881 the father returned 
to Tennsylvania to visit his old friends-, ex- 
pecting to enjoy a pleasant vacation from 
his many responsibilities, but while there 
he died very suddenly of heart failure. His 
wife survived until 1898. 

In the family of David T. Ewing there 
were six daughter and three sons, but three 
died in childhood. Those now living are 
as follows: .Mary A., wife of Harvey S. 
Baird, of Barton county. Kansas; Sarah J., 
Mrs. Alexander Beach, of Fort Dodge, 
James R., who married Hannah 
Kline and lives in Barton county. Kansas; 
Clinton D., of Webster county, Iowa; and 
Margaret A., wife of Walter C. ( loodrich, of 
Webster township, this county. The sur- 
viving son, who resides in Webster county, 
Clinton IT. is one of the best known farm- 
Webster township, where he owns 
one hundred and twenty acres on section 17. 
For a number of terms he has been township 

>0r. His first marriage occurred at 
Homer. Iowa, September 13, 1864, and 
united him with Harriet M. Rector, who 

born in Licking county. Ohio, March 
[6, 1846, and died in Webster county. Iowa, 

91. Seven children were horn of their 
union: Mary M., William, Walter, Edgar, 
Stella, George E., Alva Floyd and May. He 
was a second time married, at Lehigh. Iowa, 
November 6, 1893, his wife being Mrs. El- 
sie 1 Core) I Holiday, wdio was born in Illi- 

md came to Iowa with her father, Silas 
now a retired merchant residing in 
Fort Dodge, this state 

With his parents William S. Ewing came 
to Iowa in 1858 and settled in Webster 
c< unity, where he engaged in cultivating a 
farm of forty acres. During the subsequent 
vears of his life he devoted himself closelv 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



609 



to agricultural pursuits and aside from vot- 
ing the Republican ticket did not take any 
part in political affairs, nor was he active 
in any fraternal organizations besides the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Tn his 
tastes he was domestic, in his character up- 
right and honorable and in his friendships 
stanch and true. 

In Bureau county, Illinois, April 17, 
i860, William S. Ewing married Miss 
Frances M. Conger, a native of that county, 
born September 6, 1845. She and a brother 
who died in infancy were the only children 
of Cortez Conger, and she was left an or- 
phan at seven years of age by the death of 
her parents. Of her marriage to Mr. Ew- 
ing twelve children were born, of win mi the 
following attained mature years : Wilde, 
of Webster township, Webster county, 
who married Xellie McFarland, now de- 
ceased: Minnie, who married George Rec- 
tor, of Coalville, Webster county, and has 
two children; Viola, Mrs. Edward White, 
who has four children; May. Mrs. George 
Libby, who resides in Lehigh, Iowa; Dot, 
who is in Lehigh; Anna and Elsie, who 
make their home with their mother on the 
farm; Guy, living in Lehigh; and Frank, 
who resides with his mother and manages 
the home farm. 



CHARLES S. TOMLINSON. 

This well-known and popular engineer 
on the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad, 
with headquarters at Fort Dodge, Iowa, was 
born in Greencastle, Putnam count} - , In- 
diana, February 25, 1849, alu ^ > s a son °f 
J. A. and Mary J. (Woodruff) Tomlinson, 
who were natives of Kentucky and farming 
people. When he was seven years of age 



the family came to Webster county, Iowa, 
arriving here on the 30th of September, 
1856, and they located on a farm in Sum- 
ner township, which was their home until 
[872, and then removed to Fori Dodge. 
Here the father engaged in the grain and 
stock business quite successfully until fail- 
ing health caused his retirement. He died 
January to, [891, leaving a wife and four 
sons and two daughters, who survive him. 
Since his death two of his sons have died. 
Mrs. Tomlinson was born April 13, 1828. 
The brother of our subject is Orin W., who 
resides at Terre Haute, Indiana, and has 
been a telegraph operator for the Big Four 
Railroad for eighteen years. 

Charles S. Tomlinson received his early 
education by studying nights while working 
with his father and others on the farm dur- 
ing the day time. On the removal of the 
family to Fort Dodge in 1872 he entered 
the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad 
Company and in February of the follow- 
ing year was made fireman, which position 
he remained in for six years. In the fall of 
1878 he took the examination for engineer,, 
which was passed successfully, and was sent 
to Dubuque, where he had charge of a 
switch engine for four months. He then 
went upon the mad as engineer, and in 1880 
was given a run between Chicago and 
Champaign, Illinois, on the Chicago divi- 
sion, and later was transferred to the south 
division between Centralia and Cairo. Illi- 
nois, for a short time. Mr. Tomlinson then 
returned to Iowa and was given a run be- 
tween Waterloo and Sioux City. In Febru- 
ary, 188 r, he left the employ of the Illinois 
Central Railroad and on the 27th of March 
entered the sendee of the Minneapolis & 
St. Louis Railroad with headquarters at 
Fort Dodge, as freight and passenger en- 
gineer and he has been with that company 



6io 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ever since, and is to-day the fourth oldest 
man in their employ, as well as one of their 
most trusted and highly respected engineers. 
On the 29th of September, 1884, Mr. 
Tomlinson married Miss Sarah E. Dewer 
Swartz, O'f Waukesha county, Wisconsin, 
and to them were born two children: Har- 
ley G., March 19, 1886; and Maude, Feb- 
ruary 21, 1890. The older is now deceased, 
passing away February 6, 1898. 



J. A. ANDERS! IN. 

One of the most successful of the Swed- 
ish-Americans, of Pleasant Valley township, 
is J. A. Anderson, who was born in Sweden. 
September 9, 1851, a son of Anders and 
Buel ( Oleson) Jepson, who were born, 
reared and married in their native land. Ac- 
cording to custom our subject assumed his 
lather's first name, adding the letters "on." 
The mother died in Sweden, but the father 
is still living, though an old man and past 
his years of usefulness. There were but 
three children in the family, of whom J. 
A. Anderson is the oldest; Xels. who is 
married and is still a resident of Sweden, 
as is also Olaf, who married Mary Peterson. 

In his youth Mr. Anderson attended the 
public schools of Sweden, and in May, of 
1874, when twenty-two years of age, came 
to America. In McKean county, Pennsyl- 
vania, he worked in a sawmill for three 
years, and while there learned considerable 
of the English language, of which he knew 
scarcely a word at the time of emigration. 
In [878 he removed to Pleasant Valley 
township, Webster county. Iowa, where his 
winters were spent in the coal mines at 
Coalville, and his summers in the harvest 
fields of the surrounding farms. In 1881 



he bought forty acres of partially im- 
proved land mi section 4, Pleasant Valley 
township, and this was sold at a profit in 
1893, Mr. Anderson having, in 1889. pur- 
chased one hundred and twenty acres of 
land on section 3 of the same township. At 
the time there was a very small house on this 
latter property and the ground was not en- 
tirely cultivated. Upon settling upon the 
farm in 1893 he laboriously worked for its 
best improvement, and the same year built 
a substantial rural home, this improvement 
being followed by the erection of large barns 
and general buildings, and by the introduc- 
tion of high grade modern machinery. 

February 13, 1875, Mr. Anderson mar- 
ried Betsie Johnson, in Elk county, Penn- 
sylvania, Mrs. Anderson being a native of 
Sweden, and a daughter of John and Anna 
Mary (Bayred) Martinson, natives also of 
Sweden. The parents were married in that 
country and there the father died at the 
age of eighty years, in 1885, but the mother 
is still living, and is seventy-eight years of 
age. They were the parents of the follow- 
ing children: Betsie, who is now Mrs. J. 
A. Anderson; Annetta, who is the wife of 
Olof Seaberger, of Clay township ; Mary, 
who has taught the same school in Oalsted, 
Sweden, for about thirty-five years ; Ingrie, 
who is married and lives in Denmark; Jo- 
hannah, who works in a factory in Den- 
mark ; Bertilda, who is a dress maker in 
Sweden; and Elizabeth, who is the wife 
of Henry Hannaball, a prominent contrac- 
tor and builder of Denmark. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Anderson have been born the follow- 
ing children : Emma, born in Pennsylvania 
July 14, 1876, married Peter Croonquist 
May 1. 1894. lives on a farm in Pleasant 
Valley township, and has three children, 
John Oscar, Bettie Elvira and Olga Eliz- 
abeth. Axel Johan, born January 30, 1879, 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



611 



died December 17, 1880. Julian August 
Theodore, born October 23. 1885, died at 
the age of eleven months and seven days. 
Arthur William, burn February 6, t888, 
lives with his father. Amanda Elvira, born 
November 13, 1891, is also at home. 

Mr. Anderson now owns one hundred 
and twenty acres of land in Pleasant Val- 
ley township and also is the possessor of 
two hundred and forty acres of land in 
Charles Mix county. South Dakota. Another 
possession is the mineral right under the 
farm of forty acres belonging to Mr. Stein. 
His farm in Pleasant Valley township is 
known as the Cedar Dale Farm and it is 
conducted on thoroughly scientific principles, 
and with due regard to the advanced meth- 
ods observed in the most enterprising cen- 
ters of agricultural activity. Mr. Anderson 
is a Republican and a stanch supporter of 
his party but has never found time to hold 
office. His first presidential vote was cast 
fi ir James A. Garfield. He is a moral in- 
fluence in the community whose interests he 
has done so much to promote, and is a 
member of the Swedish Lutheran church, 
and a member of the board of trustees. 
'When the Coalville church was erected he 
was on the building committee, and it was 
largely due to his intelligent efforts that the 
matter was carried on so satisfactorily. He 
enjoys the confidence of all who know him 
and is one of the most substantial farmers 
of the township. 



CHARLES I. LUNGREN. 

Since the spring of 1877 Charles I. Lun- 
gren has been a resident of Webster county. 
Iowa, and has been prominently identified 
with its farming and stock raising interests. 



He has recently rented his farm, however, 
and moved to Gowrie, where he is engaged 
in the general merchandise business as a 
member of the firm of Briggs, Lungren & 
Lungren, having purchased a third interest 
in the enterprise. 

Mr. Lungren was burn in Sweden, No- 
vember 20, 1845, an( l Passed his boyhood 
and youth upon a farm in his native land, 
acquiring a good practical education in the 
Swedish language. He is mostly self-edu- 
cated in English, however. On coming to 
the United States in 1868 he located in 
Bureau county, Illinois, where for three 
years he worked on the farm of R. D. Jacobs 
near Maiden and later operated a rented 
farm for five years. At the end < if that 
time he came to Webster county. Iowa, 
which he visited in 1 875, and at that time 
bought a tract of eighty acres of raw land, 
some of which he had broken before locat- 
ing here. In the fall of 1877 he fenced the 
place and built a good residence, and the 
same year raised a fair crop. Since then 
he has purchased eighty acres adjoining in 
Greene county, and now has a well improved 
and valuable farm of one hundred and sixtj 
acres under a high state of cultivation. He 
has ever given considerable attention to the 
raising of stock, and is numbered among the 
successful farmers and stock raisers of his 
community. 

While residing in Bureau county, Illi- 
nois, Air. Lungren was married, September 
28, 1872, to Miss Emma Peterson, also a 
native of Sweden, who came to the new- 
world when a girl of fifteen years and grew 
to womanhood in Illinois. She died March 
11. 1892, and was laid to rest in Gowrie 
cemetery. Mr. Lungren has four sons : J. 
H., the eldest, who is now engaged in the 
mercantile business in Gowrie; H. W., a 
resident of Colorado Springs. Colorado; O. 



6l2 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



E., who is a student in the Iowa State Col- 
lege at Ames; and A. F.. who is a student at 
Tobin College, Fort Dodge. Four children 
died in infancy, Jennie being sixteen months 
old at the time of her death. 

The Republican party has always found 
in Mr. Lungren a stanch supporter of its 
principles since he cast his first presidential 
vote for James A. Garfield in 1880, and he 
has taken quite an active part in local poli- 
tics. He has tilled the offices of supervisor 
of highways a few terms; township, trustee 
four years; a member of the school board 
fifteen years; and president of the district 
3 part of the time. He has also been a dele- 
gate to the county convention of his part}-, 
and in whatever position he has been called 
upon to fill he has proved a most efficient 
and faithful officer. Pie was 1 me 1 if the orig- 
inal members of the Lost Grove Lutheran 
Mission church, with which he is still con- 
nected, and is a man of strict integrity and 
sterling worth. 



OLE SHELDOX. 



The expression "the dignity of labor" is 
exemplified in the life record of this gentle- 
man, who without reserve attributes his suc- 
cess to earnot work. Of excellent business 
ability and broad resources he has attained a 
prominent place among the substantial 
farmers of Webster county and is now able 
to lay aside active labor and spend his re- 
maining years in ease and quiet, enjoying 
the handsome competence acquired by 
former toil. 

Mr. Sheldon is a native of Norway, born 
January 14, 1841. His early life was spent 
upon a farm and to a limited extent he at- 
tended the public schools of that country, 



but his knowledge of the English language 
has been self-acquired since coming to 
America. It was in i860 that he crossed the 
broad Atlantic and took up his residence 
in Columbia county, Wisconsin, where he 
worked by the month for two or three 
years. 

There Mr. Sheldon was married. May 
_>o. 1862, to Miss Christine Nelson, who 
was also a native of Norway and was a girl 
of eleven years when she came to the new 
world. She grew to womanhood in Colum- 
bia and Dane counties, Wisconsin. After 
his marriage Mr. Sheldon rented a farm in 
Lodi towndiip, Columbia county, for a few 
j ears and engaged in farming on his own ac- 
ci mnt. I le was at length able to purchase a 
place of one hundred and twenty-five acres 
in Dane county, on which was an old small 
house and a few other improvements, and to 
us further development and cultivation he at 
once turned his attention. He built a better 
residence, a barn and fences, and engaged 
in the operation of that farm until the fall 
of 1868, when he sold the place and came to 
Webster county. Iowa. Soon after his ar- 
rival he purchased eighty acres of wild land 
in Badger township, on section io. which he 
soon transformed into well tilled fields. As 
he prospered in his new home he added to 
his property from time to time until he now 
owns four hundred and eighty acres of rich 
and arable land, divided into three farms, 
which are well improved, and he also owns 
one hundred and sixty acres of land in 
South Dakota- Without capital he com- 
menced life in America — a stranger in a 
strange land — and his success is attributable 
to bis own untiring industry and good man- 
agement and the assistance of his estimable 
wife. He has erected two houses in the 
village of Badger, making each his home at 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



613 



different times, and in the last built by him 
he ii' >\\ resides. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon were born 
eight children, as follows : Oliver A., whose 
sketch appears elsewhere in this volume; 
Xels. who owns and operates a farm in 
Badger township: Rosa, wife of Louis 
Clave, a hanker of Otterson, Iowa: Mary, 
wife of L. A. Jenson, clerk of the courts 
of Winnebago county, Iowa; Albert, who 
now operates the old home farm; Anna, who 
is now - assistant cashier in the hank with her 
brother-in-law "at Otterson; Edward, a law- 
student now at Vermillion. South Dakota: 
am 1 ( )le. who is a well-educated young man 
and is now engaged in clerking in Badger. 

Mr. Sheldon gives his political support 
to the men and measures of the Republican 
party, hut takes no active part in politics 
aside from voting. He has served as commis- 
sioner of highways but has never sought or 
cared for office. He and his wife are 
both consistent members of the Lutheran 
church of Badger, and are held in the high- 
est regard by all who know them. He is 
pre-eminently a self-made man and his life 
demonstrates what can be accomplished 
through energy, careful management, keen 
11 ire-sight and the utilization of the powers 
with which nature has aidowed one and the 
opportunities with which the times surround 
him. 



AUGUST PUTZKE. 

Farming has proved a profitable and 
pleasant occupation to August Putzke. who 
was born in Prussia August 29, 1846, his 
parents also being natives of that country, 
where they passed their entire lives. He 
was educated in his native land, and worked 
on his father's farm until emigrating to 
America in 1867, at the age of twenty-one 



years. In his adopted country he w : orked 
for a year on a farm near Watertown, Wis- 
consin, and then found employment on a 
farm in Green county, that state, for three 
years. His next scene of activity was 
Mitchell county, Iowa, where he met with 
an unfortunate accident while running" a 
threshing machine, and was incapacitated 
therefrom for four months. He subse- 
quently tried his luck in the Wise* msin piner- 
ies for a couple of months, then returned to 
Green county, where he worked on a farm 
[1 ir a year. 

On April 18. 1873. Mr. Putzke married 
Augusta Welk, who also was born in Prus- 
sia, the date of Iter birth being November 
29. 1854. Her mother is deceased, and her 
father is living in Stearns count)'. Minne- 
sota, where two of his sons also make their 
home. Eight children have been born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Putzke, namely: Edward T., 
a farmer on section 6, Dayton township, 
Webster county, who married Clara Dowd; 
Clara Amanda, the wife of A. L. Howarth, 
of Souix City. Iowa; Matilda C. wife of 
W. E. Powers, a barber of Dayton; Malinda 
E., Samuel P.. Louesa Wilhelmina, Julia 
Augusta, and Daisy Malinda, ail five at 
hi mie. 

Following his marriage. Mr. Putzke 
bought a team of horses and a wagon and 
drove to Fort Dodge. Iowa, and in October 
of the same year located on the farm on sec- 
tion ,X. Dayton township. Webster county, 
which has since been his home. An inter- 
esting- fact connected with his arrival in the 
township is that the log house on the farm, 
which contained forty acres and cost fifteen 
dollars per acre, was the first erected in the 
township, and hi it was held the first town- 
ship election. The success which rewarded 
Mr. Putzke's industry and good manage- 
ment has resulted in additions to his origin- 



614 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



al property, so that now he has in his own 
right three hundred and sixty acres of line 
farm land, which is devoted to general farm- 
ing and stock-raising. 

Air. Putzke is a Republican in national 
politics, and while carrying on unusually 
large enterprises on his farm has yet found 
time to creditably serve his township while 
holding important positions of trust. He 
was township trustee for six years, and has 
been a school director for twenty years, and 
was for six years president of the board- 
He is the friend of education, and his ser- 
vices in connection with the improvement 
in the school system have been valuable and 
appreciated. He is a member of the Evan- 
gelical church. 



OLIVER A. SHELDON. 

Oliver A. Sheldon, one of the energetic 
and progressive farmers of Badger town- 
ship, his home being on section 10, has been 
a resident of this county since October, 
1867. He was born in Columbia county, 
Wisconsin, on the 31st of March, 1863, and 
is a son of Ole Sheldon, a prominent farm- 
er of Webster county, whose sketch appears 
on another page of this volume. 

Coming to Iowa when only five years 
old our subject passed his boyhood and 
youth in this count}* and was educated in 
its public schools. He remained under the 
parental roof until he had arrived at man's 
estate, giving his father the benefit of his 
labor. He spent about two years in Badger 
buying grain for other parties and later was 
a member of a firm engaged in the grain 
business in Arnold for a time. He next en- 
gaged in farming on rented land for about 
z. year and then operated one of his father's 
farms for four years. In 1890 he returned 



to the old homestead where he was reared 
and has since engaged in the operation of 
that farm, consisting of one hundred and 
sixty acres. He raises a good grade of 
sti ck and in both undertakings is meeting 
with well merited success. 

In Badger township, April 12, 1891, Mr. 
Sheldon was united in marriage with Miss 
Judith Chantland, who was born, reared 
and educated in this county and here she 
engaged in teaching school prior to her mar- 
riage. Her father, Thomas Chantland, was 
one of the first settlers of Badger township. 
Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon have an interesting- 
family of four children, namely: Ole Cur- 
tis, Susan Teresa, Florence W. and James 
Robert. 

Since casting his first presidential vote 
for James G. Blaine, Mr. Sheldon has affili- 
ated with the Republican party, but has 
never sought or desired official honors, lie 
was, however, elected township assessor and 
served in that capacity one term, and he has 
also been a delegate to numerous a unity 
conventions of his party. Religiouslv both 
he and his wife are members of the Luth- 
eran church, of Badger, and are among the 
most highly respected citizens of their com- 

munity. 

■» • » 

MARY H. ANDREWS. 

Mary II. Andrews, who is the owner of 
a well improved farm of eighty acres on 
section .27, Otho township, was born in 
Licking county, Ohio, June 29. 1840. and is 
a daughter of Daniel Clark and Deborah 
(Clafflin) Fuller, who were, born in Xew 
York state, the former January 16. 1794. 
and the latter August 18, 1802. The par- 
ents were married November 2, 1820. 

Daniel Clark Fuller moved from Xew 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



615 



York to Ohio in [833 and settled in Lick- 
ing county, where he lived for forty years 
upon a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. 
He then removed to Fori Dodge, Iowa, 
and lived there until his death in practical 
retirement from business cares. His wife, 
who afterward came to Otho and spent her 
remaining years with Norman Hart, was 
the mother of four sons and three daughters. 
namely: Mrs. Andrews, of this review: 
Orin P.. who married Amarida Cooley, 
now deceased, and lives in North Dakota; 
Edwin, who died March [, 1862, at Grass- 
hopper Falls, Kansas, his first wife hav- 
ing been Henrietta Pence, and his second 
wife May Moore, also deceased; Sarah. 
who married D. C. Stemson and both are 
deceased; Jane, wife of Norman Hart, of 
Kalo : Clark, who married Rowena Mi "ire 
and both are dead: and Deborah, a 
widow living at Kalo, her first husband hav- 
ing been John Van Valkingburg, and her 
second. Cornelius Clafnin. 

Mrs. Andrews was educated in the pub- 
lic schools and also at the Episcopal Acad- 
emy at Granville, Ohio, from which she 
eventually graduated. For the following 
ten years she engaged in educatii >nal w< »rk 
in different parts of the country, her Last 
term of school being in the district in which 
she now lives. Her marriage occurred De- 
cember 22, 1866, the ceremony uniting her 
with C. B. Andrews being performed at the 
Congregational parsonage by Rev. B< ying- 
ton. Mr. Andrews was born in Wood 
county. Ohio, June 8, 1836, and was a son 
of James and Arzelia (Fitch) Andrews, the 
latter of whom died in Wood count}- Ohio, 
while the former died at Border Plains, 
Webster count}-, in December, 1896. 
The father remarried after the death 
of his first wife, who was the mother of 
Mr. Andrews, and with his second wife 



came to Border Plains in 1851, and they 
were among the very earliest settlers of that 
region. Their effort to obtain a competence 
was accompanied by all of the trials and 
deprivations incident to frontier life, \ et 
the} made rapid progress among the crude 
conditions by which they were surrounded, 
and reared their children to be useful men 
and women. The children were: Eliza, 
who lives at Border Plains and is the widow 
of Christopher Brogettie Osman, who died 
in the state of Washington; Emma, who is 
the wife of Wilson Graves, of Madison, 
Wisconsin; and Samuel Ilelmer. who lives 
in Minnesota. 

C. B. Andrews served during the Civil 
war for three years as a soldier in the 
Thirty-second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, 
and participated in many of the important 
battles of the war. He was under command 
of General Banks, Colonel Scott and Cap- 
tain Dowd, and was discharged from the 
service August 24, [865. I te was, up to the 
time of his death, a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were horn 
four children: Clark Elmer, horn March 
2 1868, married Adelia Parsons and lives 
on the home place with his three children, 
Clarence. Florence and Marie; Howe X., 
horn February 21, 1N70. married Jennie 
Myers, and is engaged in the carpenter bus- 
iness at Fort Dodge; Arzelia. horn March 
7. [873, married Fred Hancock, who i^ en- 
gaged in the implement business at Fort 
Dodge; and Osman, horn February 20. 
[880, lives at Fort Dodge. 

Mrs. Andrews has a pleasant home on 
the property which was formerly the pride 
of her husband, and which in the original 
contained one hundred and sixty acre- 
is engaged in general farming and stock 
raising, and has the reputation of being a 



6i6 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



good manager and successful business 
woman. She is a member of the Congre- 
gational church at Kalo. 



WALLACE F. SPERRY. 

The abundant resources of Otho town- 
ship have been utilized to the fullest extent 
by Wallace F. Sperry, one of the large land 
owners of Webster county, Iowa, and one 
of its most scientific farmers and stock 
raisers. He was born in Columbia count}'. 
New York, January 27, 1854, his parents 
and grandparents being also of American 
birth. His father. Frederick L. Sperry, who 
was a blacksmith by trade, came to Webster 
county, Iowa, in iS(>~. and settled upon the 
land now occupied by our subject, having 
entered eighty acres of river land which he 
improved and upon which he made his home 
until called to his final rest in 1898. By 
bard work and good management he in- 
creased his possessions until he owned two 
hundred and twenty acres of land, all of 
which is now owned by his son, as well as an 
additional one hundred acres, making in ail 
three hundred and twenty acres. The wife 
and mother, who bore the maiden name of 
Mary J. Taylor, passed away in 1888. In 
the family were four sons who reached years 
of maturity, namely: M. L., who married 
Kate Kinkaid and lives in Fort Dodge; X. 
G., also a resident of Fort Dodge; Wallace 
F., of this review : and W. V. 

Wallace F. Sperry received his education 
in the district schools near his boyhood 
home, and was reared to an appreciation of 
the many benefits to be derived from a prac- 
tical, enterprising agricultural life. He 
continued to assist his father in the opera- 
tion of the home farm until his marriage, in 



July. 1883, Miss Alma Smith becoming his 
wife. She was born in Henry count}-, Iowa, 
November 14, 1857, a daughter of Loring 
W. and Caroline (Gardner) Smith, the 
former horn in New York. January r, 1827, 
and the latter in Xew Hampshire, June 29, 
[829. Her parents were married February 
16 1854, and the following year left their 
home near Madison, Ohio, and settled in 
Henry county, Iowa, where they lived until 
coming to Webster county in 1859. After 
residing on a farm near Fort Dodge, pur- 
chased several years before, they removed 
to that city, where Mr. Smith died August 
26, 1891. His wife still makes her home 
in Fort Dodge. Mrs. Sperry takes a just 
pride in her ancestry, of which authentic 
record has been kept since 1650. The fam- 
ily was first represented in America by Jo- 
seph Smith, who emigrated from his home 
in England about the middle of the seven- 
teenth century, and since that time his de- 
scendants have been creditable acquisitions 
to their respective places of residence. Mrs. 
Caroline Smith is of Scotch descent and is 
the mother of the following children : Mrs. 
Hattie Martin, a resident of Henry county. 
Iowa; Sherman E., who died August 27, 
1 888, at the age of twenty-seven years ; Car- 
rie R. who is a stenographer in Denver, 
Colorado; Charles L.. who lives in Fort 
Dodge; Fred E., who died in [878; and Al- 
ma, now - the wife of our subject. Mr. and 
Mrs. Sperry have eight children, whose 
names and dates of birth are as follows: 
Fred L.. April 1, 1881 ; Lisle W.. June 15, 
1SS7; Merle M.. born April 4. 1889; Ward, 
born October 2j, 1891 ; Elibu C. June 9, 
1893; Mavis and Mildred, twins. March 19. 
1895; and Irene, August 26, 1897. 

After his marriage Mr. Sperry purchased 
one hundred acres of. land in Otho town- 
ship, to the improvement and cultivation of 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



619 



which lie at once turned his attention, and 
lias since bought the interests of the other 
heirs in the old homestead. He is success 
fully engaged in general farming and stock 
raising, although he devotes more time to 
the dairy business than to feeding and sell- 
ing stock. He is one of the most energetic 
and up-to-date men of his community, and 
is foremost in all efforts to improve the edu- 
cational and material standing of the town- 
sHib in which he makes his home. 



S. E. LE VALLEY. 

S. E. Le Valley, one of the honored vet- 
erans of the Civil war, and a well-known 
retired farmer of Dayton, Iowa, was horn 
on the 24th of March, 1834, in Luzerne 
county, Pennsylvania, and on the paternal 
side is of French lineage. His father. J. 
N. Le Valley, was a native of New York, 
and in that state grew to manhood and mar- 
ried Miss Laura Ann Allen, who claimed 
Connecticut as her birthplace. In 1833 they 
renn >ved to Pennsylvania, where they con- 
tinued to make their home until 1857, when 
thev went to. Illinois and took up their resi- 
dence in Knox county, where the mother 
died in 1866 and the father two years later. 
He was a stone mason by trade and a stanch 
Democrat in politics. 

Unto this worthy couple were born 
eleven children, of whom four died in in- 
fancy, the others being Debbie D., who mar- 
ried Michael Slocum and died in Pennsyl- 
vania; Daniel, who married Maria Row and 
also died in Pennsylvania; George C, who 
first married Harriet Brunson and second 
Jane Miles and makes his home in Knox 
count}', Illinois; Francis and Levi H., who 
both died at the age of twenty-seven years ; 



Silas, who married Minerva Onielia and re- 
sides in Pennsylvania; and S. E., our sub- 
ject. 

The last named was educated in the dis- 
trict schools of Pennsylvania and assisted 
his father until twenty-two years of age. 
Leaving home in 1856 he went to Knox 
county, Illinois, where he engaged in farm- 
ing upon rented land until after the Civil 
war broke out. Prompted by a spirit of 
patriotism he enlisted August 14. 1862, in 
Company F, One Hundred and Second Illi- 
nois Volunteer Infantry, under General 
Ward. His command crossed the Ohio 
river at Louisville and proceeded to Frank- 
fort and on to Bowling Green and Scotts- 
ville, Kentucky. They were mounted and 
did scout duty for nine months. From 
Scottsville they went to Gallatin, Tennessee, 
and later to Nashville. Luverne, Chatta- 
nooga and Atlanta. During the early part 
of his service Mr. Le Valley took part in 
a number of skirmishes, but his first im- 
portant battle was that of Buzzards Roost, 
followed by the engagements at Resaca, 
Dallas, Casville, Xew Hope Church (Burnt 
Hickory), Lost Mountain. Kenesaw 
Mountain, Marietta and Vining Station, 
which brought the army to the Chattahoo- 
chee river. Crossing that stream they en- 
gaged in battle at Peach Tree Creek. Later 
they participated in the battle of Atlanta, and 
on leaving that city accompanied Sherman 
on his celebrated march to the sea. They 
took part in the battles of Lawtonville and 
Columbia, South Carolina, and Averysboro 
and Bentonville, North Carolina, and then 
proceeded to Goldsboro without opposition, 
being stationed there at the time of Lee's 
surrender. From there they went to Ral- 
eigh in time to witness the surrender of 
Johnston to Sherman and then proceeded 
northward to Washington, D. C, where 



620 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Le Valley took part in the grand re- 
view and was mustered out June 6, 1865. 
He was slightly wounded at Atlanta. From 
private he rose to the rank of sergeant and 
was serving' in that capacity when the war 
ended. 

After leaving the army Mr. Le Valley 
returned to Knox county, Illinois, where he 
worked by the month on a farm. On the 
1st of February, 1866, he married Miss El- 
mira F. Le Valley, a (laughter of C. II. and 
Harriet Le Valley, who were married in 
New York and on coming west settled in 
Knox county, Illinois. Her father died in 
1895, but her mother is still living. Their 
family consisted of one son and seven 
daughters, namely: Elizabeth, wife of 
William Suydan, of Knox county. Illinois; 
George H., who married Hannah Lane and 
resides in Knox county; Elmira F., wife 
of our subject: Mary, wife of If. P. Tate, 
of Dayton, Iowa; Julia, who died at the 
age of thirty years; Hattie, wife of William 
Palmer, of Galesburg. Illinois: Emma, de- 
ceased wife of Alonzo Harrison, of Colo- 
rado; and Xellie. wife of Charles Perkins, 
of Ottumwa, Iowa. 

Our subject and his wife have seven 
children: ( 1 ) Judd N., a resident of Day- 
ton, married Lulu Carr and has two chil- 
dren, Frances and Helen. (2) Daniel O., 
of Dayton, married Carrie Bennett and has 
four children, Ethel, Eddie, Edith and Nel- 
lie. (3) Fred S., of Dayton, married Xellie 
Dowd and has two children, Harley and 
Harvey. (4) Hattie is the wife of William 
Snyder, of Belmond, Iowa. (5) Willie W. 
is at home with his parents. (6) Stella is 
the wife of William Olmstead, of Dayton, 
and they have three children. Juddie, Ora 
and Chauncey. 1 j) Chauncey makes his 
home with his parents. 

Mr. Le Vallev continued his residence 



in Knox county, Illinois, until 1876 when 
he came to Webster county, Iowa, and pur- 
chased a farm of one hundred and sixty 
acres in Dayton township, which he success- 
fully operated until 1892. Renting his place 
lie removed to Dayton, where he owns a 
nice home, and a year after locating here he 
sold his farm and embarked in the meat 
business, conducting a market for nine years. 
Politically he is identified with the Republi- 
can party and has most efficiently filled the 
office of justice of the peace. Both he and 
his wife are active and faithful members of 
the Methodist church, of which he is trus- 
tee and steward, and he is also connected 
with the Masonic fraternity, the Independ- 
ent Order of Odd Fellows and the Grand 
Army of the Republic, while his wife holds 
membership in the Woman's Relief Corps. 
As a citizen he has alwavs been true and 
faithful to every trust reposed in him, so 
that his loyalty is above question, being 
manifested in days of peace as well as when 
he followed the old flag to victory on south- 
ern battlefields. 



EDGAR L. WOODDLE. 

Particularly worthy of mention, as prov- 
ing what it is possible for energetic young- 
men to accomplish in Webster county, is the 
success which is rewarding the enterprise 
and Kvi.se judgment of Mr. Wooddle, of 
Webster township. He was born in Rock 
Island county, Illinois, April 22, 1S74, and is 
a member of a well-known family concern- 
ing whom mention is made in the sketch of 
Albert Wooddle. When he was a boy he 
was given such advantages as the district 
schools of Rock Island county afforded, and 
after coming to Iowa he was for a short time 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



621 



a student in the Lehigh schools. At the age 
of sixteen lie left school, in order to assist 
his father on the heme farm, and during- the 
winter, when there was little to do on the 
farm, he clerked in a store. 

In Webster township. June 18, 1893, 
Mr. Wooddle married Miss Delia M. 
Daniels, who was born here March 5, 1874. 
and is a daughter of William Henry Daniels, 
a native of Bureau count}-. Illinois. Mention 
of the Daniels family appears in the sketches 
of Daniel and C. N. Daniels, elsewhere in 
this work. Agriculture has so far been Mr. 

W ldle's occupation in life. For a time he 

rented a farm belonging- to his wife'-, grand- 
father, and afterward cultivated land owned 
by his father-in-law. meantime saving his 
accumulations in order that he might invest 
in land for himself. In 1897 he purchased 
a tract of eighty acres, lying on section [6. 
With this piece as nucleus, be has kept add- 
ing to his property, until now his landed 
possessions aggregate two hundred and 
twenty acres on sections 16 and 17, while his 
wife owns an eighty-acre tract on section 17, 
these several properties adjoining and form- 
ing one of the best farms in the entire town- 
ship. 

One of the chief ambitions of Mr. Wood- 
die's life has been to make his farm the peer 
of any property in the entire county, and 
how well he is succeeding a glance at his 
place indicates. A neat residence gives the 
family a desirable abode, and suitable gran- 
aries provide a place of storage for crops, 
while barns and cattle sheds provide shelter 
for the stock. The land is divided and sub- 
divided into fields of convenient size, some 
for the pasturage of stock and others for 
the raising of grain. Especial attention is 
paid by the owner to the raising of high- 
grade stock for the market, and it is in this 
line that he has met with the greatest suc- 



cess. A number of very fine In irses are t< 1 be 
seen on the farm, as well as full-blooded cat- 
tle- The grain raised on the farm is 
as feed for the stock, which has proved more 
profitable than its sale in the markets. It 
would seem that the management of his 
property, together with all the responsibility 
attached to the breeding, feeding and selling 
of cattle, would engross all of Mr. Wood- 
die's time, but we find that he has for eight 
winters found time to engage in mining, and 
lie kept in touch with the occupation through 
his membership in the Miners' Union. At 
this writing he is connected with the Amer- 
ican Yeoman Lodge. 

While he has thus far in life refused to 
accept official positions. Mr. Wooddle is in- 
terested in public affairs, keeps posted con- 
cerning the problems brought before our 
government, and supports the Republican 
party. Both he and his wife are connected 
with the Methodist Episcopal Church and 
c< mtribute to its maintenance. He is a stock- 
holder in the Lehigh Valley Savings Bank 
and has other interests that are important. 
Indeed, his success is unusual for one of his 
age, and without doubt he will be in a posi- 
tion to retire from active business cares with 
a competency sufficient for all of his remain- 
ing vears. at a time when man}- men are 
]ust getting a fi u rthold in the business world. 
In his family there are three children, name- 
ly: Gladys M.. born March 5, 1804: Lewi- 
S.. March jo, 181)7: and Mildred, August 
22. 1900. 



JACOB INTERMILL. 

An esteemed citizen and successful farm- 
er as well as a large land owner in Webster 
county, Iowa, is Jacob Intermill, whose 
property is located on sections X and 5, Day- 



622 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ton township. His birth < ccurred in Switz- 
erland April 8, 1843, h' s parents being 
Christian and Elizabeth ( Creubuel 1 fnter- 
inill. who were born, reared and married in 
Switzerland. In i860 they emigrated to the 
United States, settling in Tuscarawas coui> 
ty, < )hio, where the father died five years la- 
ter, after which the mother made her home 
with our subject until her death, in 1890. 
They had a family of twelve children, our 
subject being the seventh in order of birth. 
The 1 thers were as folloWs: Christian mar- 
ried Anna Weir, now deceased, and lives in 
Oakdale, Nebraska; Elizabeth is the widow 
of John I louder and resides in I'.urnside 
township, tli^ county; Rose is the widow of 
John Schwenderman and lives in Burnside 
township; John married Charlotte Eckhart 
and lives in Vincent, Webster county; Sam- 
uel died in [865 at the age of twenty-six; 
Susan is the wife of Jacob Echer, of Canton, 
Ohio; Margrel is the wife of David Brown, 
of Fort Dodge, towa; Madeline married 
Nicholas Finzer and resides in Hicksville, 
Ohio; Annette married John Wenger and 
lives in Canton, Ohio; Mary died in Switz- 
erland at the age of ten years; and Rudolph 
married Carrie Porch and lives in Webster 
county. 

I 'mil he was seventeen years of age our 
subject knew no other land than his native 
Country. After the family settled in Ohio 
he attended school in older to perfect him- 
self in the English language. For five years 
he remained at home assisting his father on 
the farm, at the same time studying the 
English tongue, and succeeding in a wonder- 
ful degree. He then went west, stopping 
first in Bureau county, Illinois, where he 
farmed on shares for two years, after which 
he removed to Jasper county, Iowa. The 
trip was made overland in a prairie schooner. 
From there he went to Benton county and 



two years later came to Webster county, in 
ing a river claim of one hundred 
and sixty acres. 

Two years later Mr. Intermill went to 
Philadelphia and in February, 1X71. he was 
married to Catherine Steit/e. a native of 
Germany, and a daughter of William and 
Maggie 1 Waggoner) Steitze, both of whom 
were born in that country. Mrs. Intermill 
was one in a family of four children, all of 
whom are living in America, the others be- 
ing: Peter, who married Kate Kuster and 
lives in Rigorsville, Ohio; Maggie, who 
married Jake Grow and resides at the same 
place; and John, who married a Miss Echart 
and lives in Dover. Ohio. Mrs. Intermill, 
the firs] wife of our subject, died May 13, 
1872, and was buried in Rigorsville, Ohio. 
One child was horn to that union, William 
I-'., who married Matilda Norstrum and lives 
in Bruce, South 1 )akota. 

Mr. Intermill remained at work on a 
farm near Canton, Ohio, until the fall fol- 
lowing and then returned to Iowa. On Sep- 
tember hi. [872, at Canton, he was married 
to Elizabeth Snyder, a native of Switzerland, 
and a daughter of John and Elizabeth Sny- 
der, both of whom were horn in Switzerland. 
The mother died and the second marriage 
of Mr. Snyder was to Elizabeth Pfester. 
By his first marriage Mr. Snyder had three 
children, namely: Godfreid, a resilient of 
Stratford, Iowa: Elizabeth, the wife of Mr. 
Intermill; and Lew. who lives with his 
brother. Eight children were horn by Mr. 
Snyder's second marriage, namely: John, 
who lives in Ohio; Mary, who married 
James Geisenger and lives in Akron. Ohio; 
Josephine, Fred and Susan, .also residents 
of Akron; and George. Nicholas and Sam- 
uel, who also live in Ohio. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Intermill eight chil- 
dren were born: Anna, born July 3, 1873, 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



623 



was married February i_\ [896, to Alberl 
Rufer who was born in Bureau county, tlli- 
nois, March 31, 1869, and they live in I »a} 
ton township, this county. Their four chil- 
dren arc Clarence, Florence, Harold and 
( irace. The 1 >ther members 1 >\ the [ntermill 
family arc: Charles, at home; Katie, wife 
of Edward Gabriedson, of Dayton, towa; 
Louisa, wife of Alvin Kramer, of Burnside 
township; Minnie: Lydia; Lilly; and Flos- 
sie. 

Mr. [ntermill owns two hundred and 
forty acres of some of the most valuable 
land in Dayton township and also one hun- 
dred and sixty acres in Bruce, Brookings 
county, South Dakota. Although lie lias 
long been a firm believer in a Republican 
party management he is no politician, and 
refuses to accept any public office. I lis re- 
ligious ci nnection is with the German Evan 
gelical church, in which faith he was reared. 
Mr. [ntermill lias been a very busy and in- 
dustrious man and lias accumulated his large 
property interests through his own endeav- 
1 irs and enji iys the high esteem of his felli 1 . 
citizens. 

4 » » 

A. J. CROUSE. 

The rer< 'Hi < ■ 1 i < . 1 1 - • r \ 1 ' 
back to the pioneer days of Webster county, 
to which he came in childhood and with 
which he lias since been identified, being 
a well-known farmer 1 m sect inn 21, Wash- 
ington township. He was born in Owen 
county, Indiana, April 22, [845, and is a 
son of [saacand Nancj (Cornelius) Crouse, 
natives of North Carolina. Jli- father was 
born November 28, [808, and his mother 
Decemher 10. [803. Alter their marriage 
id from North Carolina to In- 
diana, settling in Owen county, where he 



took up a government claim. The year 
[85] witnessed their arrival in Webster 
o lunty, I' wa. \t thai time the o >vm\ 
Hamilton and Webster were one, und< 
name 1 »f Webster, and w itli the cot 
at Ih :iiicr. Settlers were few , imp 
conspicuous bj their absence, ami hard 
and privations were the common 1' t of all 
who, with a pioneer's brave heart, peni 
trated these then primitive wilds. 

The family were wholl) without means 
and the father was Had to secure work in 
building a gristmill. 1 1 is employer hail 
taken up a government claim, hut becom 
ing discouraged with prospects, turned his 
land and 1' ig house over to VEi 1 rou se, and 
it was there thai the family spent the m I 
winter in Iowa, ddic weather was unusually 
severe and for weeks the snow laj four feel 
deep, effectually depriving the familj of all 
Me intercourse with other pioneers. The 
log house offered hut meager profc 
fn mi the elements, fi ir the o 'Id w 1 
had come 1 m bef< ire there had been an op 
portunity to daub up the crack-, in order to 
keep ' 'Ut the ci 'Id. Ti 1 add t' ' their 
ings there was no stove and no elm 
As a result of the exposure they were af- 
fllicted with the ague, with which the 
fered constantly and seriously. Howi 
when spring came the} 1 m recovered from 
the effect- of the hard winter. The father 
began to break up the land preparatot 
cultivation. The house, too, < n ndered 
a. better protection from wind and weather, 
and when am ther w inter began dim 
k without fear of further suffering. In 
1852 they built a log house four and 
half miles south of II miei on I >i n m< 
and there remained until [857, when they 
d to Brush) creek and bought a quarter 
aining some imp 
merits. It was on tin- place that Mr. I 



•624 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



•died on September 29, 1887. His wife had 
passed away July 19, 1883. Both were bur- 
ied at Dun-combe, Iowa. Their family con- 
sisted of six children. The eldest. Jane, was 
born August 1. 1832. and became the wife 
■of Robert Wilgus of Webster county, Iowa, 
but both are now deceased. They were the 
parents of nine children. Sarah Ann was 
born December 14, 1834. and makes her 
home with W. L. Crouse in Webster county. 
John Henry, who was born August 30, 1836, 
married Betsy Newsum and resided in Web- 
ster county until his death, on April 7, 1881. 
Polly Paulina, born April 12, 1840, became 
the wife of William Paine and died in Web- 
ster county in 1897. She is survived by one 
child. A. J. was the fourth in order of 
birth, while the youngest is Rebecca, horn 
October 9, 1848, and now the wife of George 
Townsend. of the state of Washington. 

The school advantages afforded by Web- 
ster count}" during pioneer days were exceed- 
ingly limited but A. J. Crouse succeeded in 
acquiring a knowledge of the three R's and 
subsequent habits of observation and self- 
culture have made him a well informed 
man. The school which he attended was 
the result of the ingenuity of the farmers, 
they having clubbed together and built .1 
school house, which they supported by sub- 
scription. His attendance at the school was 
limited to three months in the winter; dur- 
ing the remainder of the year he was em- 
ployed in helping on the farm. He re- 
mained on the homestead until he was 
twenty- four. At Fort Dodge, Iowa. Janu- 
ary 6, 1868, he married Cordelia M. Jaques, 
who was born in Ohio- August 1 1, 1850, and 
died in Iowa June 8, 1898. Her parents, 
Varnum and Juliana (Porter) Jaques were 
born, reared and married in Ohio. After 
his death the widow came to Iowa and set- 
tled in Webster countv. Her death occurred 



in 1896 at the home of her son. Franklin, 
near Salt Lake City. Utah. In her family 
there were eight children, James, John, 
Jason, Charles. Caleb, Franklin. Adeline 
and Cordelia. 

Mr. Crouse is the father of seven chil- 
dren, the eldest of whom, Ellora Evelyn, 
was born November 6, 1869, and died when 
seventeen days old. Parella Lenoria. who 
was born November 22, 1870, married The- 
ron Pratt, of Washington township, Web- 
ster county, and they have one child, Blanche 
May. John Wesley Crouse, the oldest son 
in the family, was born April 26, 1873. He 
was married at Fort Dodge, Iowa, December 
20, 1899, to Miss Jennie C. Webb a native 
of Webster county, born June 2, 1883. She 
was one of five children, whose parents, Mar- 
shall M. and Kate (Ding-man) Webb, are 
natives, respectively, of Webster county, 
Iowa, and New York state, now residing a: 
Fort Dodge. J. W. Crouse and wife have 
one daughter, born October 25, 1900. The 
fourth child of Mr. Crouse is Nellie Ala- 
meda, born May 28, 1877, and married May 
11. 1899, to Hartley Daniels, by whom she 
lias one child. They live in Webster county. 
The fifth child in the family is Jessie May 
Ursula, born April 7, 188 1. She was mar- 
ried January 4, 1900, to Arthur Stump, of 
Webster county, and died October 4, 1901. 
The youngest children of Mr. Crouse are 
Teddy Varnum, born June n, 1883. and 
Frederick William, born October 26, 1888, 
both of whom are at home. 

Ever since his marriage Mr. Crouse has 
continued to operate the homestead farm, 
which he has improved by building a resi- 
dence and barns and by placing the eighty 
acres under excellent cultivation. The prop- 
ertv lies on section 21, Washington town- 
ship. While managing his various personal 
interests, he finds time to participate in local 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



625 



affairs and is well posted concerning move- 
ments brought before the people for the ben- 
efit! of the county. At different times he has 
held a majority of the township offices, till- 
ing these positions with fidelity and intel- 
ligence. In his political views he is in sym- 
pathy with Populist doctrines and usually 
votes with the People's party, although his 
citizenship is too broad to be confined to the 
narrow limits of any political organization. 
First, last and always he favors such plans 
and measures as will promote the welfare of 
the people. 



SWAN JOHNSON. 



( >ne nf the most prominent and public- 
spirited citizens of Dayton is Swan Johnson, 
who is now so efficiently serving as county 
supervisor from district No. 4. His early 
home was on the other side of the Atlantic, 
for he was bdrn in Sweden. May 14, 1844, 
and there spent the first seventeen years nf 
of his life. In 1861 he came to America in 
company with his parents, Andrew and 
Christiana ( Anderson ) Johnson, the voyage 
being made in the Margretta, a sailing ves- 
sel. After six weeks spent upon the water 
they landed in Boston, Massachusetts, and 
fn m there went to New York and on to 
Henry county, Illinois, where the father 
purchased a tract of land near Orion, and to 
its cultivation and improvement he devoted 
his energies throughout the remainder of his 
life. He died in 1887, but the mother is still 
living and continues to reside in Orion, Illi- 
nois. hi their family were six children, 
namely: John, who married Margaret 
Sneges, and resides in Des Moines, Iowa; 
Mary C, wife of Hans Shult, of Henry 
county, Illinois ; Swan, the subject of this 
sketch ; Jonas P., a resident of Gowrie, Iowa, 
who wedded Alary Larson, and has repre- 



sented Webster county in the state legisla- 
ture; Annie, who married P. E. Coleson and 
died in Boone county, Iowa; and Alggert 
A., who married Ida Sten, and resides in 
Calhoun county, Iowa. 

Swan Johnson celebrated his seventeenth 
birthday in mid-ocean on the emigration of 
the family to America. He began his edu- 
cation in his native land, and attended schi »ol 
in Mercer county, Illinois, to a limited ex- 
tent for about two years, but he had little 
opportunity for study as he worked in the 
coal mines of Knox and Warren counties, 
Illinois, during the winter months and as a 
farm hand through the summer season, be- 
ing thus employed for six years. 

On the 1 6th of March, 1867, in Andover, 
Henry count}', Illinois, was celebrated! the 
marriage of Mr. Johnson and Miss Mar- 
garet England, who was also born in Swe- 
den, February 2. 1847, a daughter of Peter 
and Cathrina (Coleson) England, natives 
of the same country. In 1853 the family 
came to the United States on a sailing ves- 
sel, which cast anchor in the harbor of New 
York after a voyage of ten weeks. Going 
to Knox county, Illinois, Mr. England pur- 
chased one hundred and twenty acres of 
land, a" span of horses, a wagon and three 
cows, for all which he paid three hundred 
dollars in gold, and in his farming 1 iperatii <ns 
met with good success, being quite well-to- 
do at the time of his death, which occurred 
in 1 887. His widow now makes her home at 
Victoria, Knox county. Unto them were 
horn five children, of whom Mrs. Johnson 
is the oldest; Andrew, deceased, married 
Anna Heed and lived in Knox county; 
Christina is the wife of Heun Lindeberg, 
of the same county; Catherine is the wife of 
Jonas Hidmond, now of Hancock county. 
Iowa; and Peter married Anna Coleson and 
makes his home in Knox county, Illinois. 



626 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have eight chil- 
dren, namely: Frank A. \\ .. who lives on 
Ins lather's farm in Boone county. Iowa, 
married Hulda Nurestrom and has one child, 
Ro'sie. Anna R. is the wife of P. A. Stark, 
of Dayton, Iowa, and has three children, 
Swan T.. Alice and Ernest. Wesley S. A. 
was formerly engaged in the hardware busi- 
ness in Des Moines, but is now engaged in 
the same business in Cowrie. Ernest J. E., 
a hardware merchant of Dayton, married 
Daisy Lumblad and has one child Lucile. 
Henry S., Emma L., Hester M. and Mary 
C. are all at home with their parents. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Johnson-re- 
moved to Boone county, Iowa, where he pur- 
chased one hundred and twenty acres of raw 
prairie land, to which he subsequently added 
another tract of the same size, and there he 
erected buildings, built fences and made 
many- other improvements until he had a 
well cultivated and desirable farm. In 1892 
he retired from active labor and moved to 
Dayton, where he owns a good home. In 
business affairs he has steadily prospered 
and is to-day the possessor of some valuable 
property and one of the directors of the First 
National Bank of Dayton. He still devotes 
a part of his time to the real estate, loan and 
foreign transportation business as a mem- 
ber of the firm of Johnson & Company, and 
for thirty-three years has engaged in auc- 
tioneering all over this section of the state. 
He is president of the Swedish Mutual In- 
surance Association of Webster and adjoin- 
ing counties, which was incorporated under 
the laws of Iowa, and in the management of 
its affairs has met with marked success, 
having saved for its members ewer seventy- 
live thousand dollars. Mr. Johnson has 
traveled all over the United States in the 
interests of the Union Pacific Land Depart- 
ment, and in all his undertakings has been 



very successful, so that he is to-day one of 
the most substantial and prosperous citi- 
zens of his community. 

He is a charter member of the Swedish 
Methodist Episcopal church of Dayton, 
which was organized thirty-three years ago, 
and is ti i-day 1 me of its leading members and 
trustees. Politically he is a Republican and 
an ardent advocate of the .principles of that 
party ; and fraternally is a charter member 
of Castle Lodge, of Dayton. As a public- 
spirited and progressive citizen, he has taken 
quite a prominent and influential part in 
public affairs, and was once the candidate 
of his party' for the legislature. He served 
as supervisor of Boone county, and is now 
filling the same office in Webster county in 
a most creditable and acceptable manner. 



CHRISTIAN FLICKINGER. 

The agricultural prestig'e of Webster 
county is being fostered and maintained by 
the laudable efforts of Christian Flickinger, 
who, solely through his own efforts has be- 
come the possessor of three hundred and 
twenty acres of land. He was born in 
Switzerland January 4, 1849, an ^ upon the 
mountain sides of his native land his ances- 
tors had for many years tended their flocks 
and awaited the coming of the harvests. His 
parents were natives also of Switzerland, 
where they lived and died, the father in 
1871 and the mother in 1899. There were 
four sons and three daughters in the paren- 
tal family, namely : Susan, the wife of 
Samuel Isher, of Switzerland ; Dave, who 
is now married a second time, his former 
wife, Barbara Schewendnan, having died in 
Switzerland; Mary, wdio married Christ 
Wenger, and died in her native land; Eliza- 




MR. AND MRS. CHRISTIAN FLICKINGER 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



629 



Ik-iIi. who married Jacob tsher and died in 
Switzerland; John, who married Miss Wen- 
ger and is living in the old country; and 
Jacob, who came to America but whose 
w here. 1I1- uts are unknow n. 

In his youth Christian Flickinger had 
fair opportunities for acquiring an educa- 
tion, for the common school system oi 
Switzerland lias no superior in the world. 
Under his father's capable leaching- he 
learned also to lie a model farmer, and was 
thus employed until his marriage in 1879, 
with Elizabeth Wenger, who is the child 
1 if Swiss parents. ller father never left 
his native land and died October 27, 
[889, while tlie| mother is living with 
her son-in-law, and is seventy-five years of 
age. Besides herself there was one daugh- 
ter and two sons in the family; John mar- 
ried Lizzie Felman and lives in St. Joseph, 
Missouri, while his wife and daughter live 
at Fort Dodge; Rosa married Jacob Kuinze 
and lives in Switzerland; and Fred married 
Mrs. Clara Dallenbach and lives in Denver, 
Colorado. 

After his marriage Mr. Flickinger re- 
mained for three years in Switzerland, and 
in 1883 came to America, arriving in New 
York harbor January 1st. From the east he 
came direct to Webster count}', Iowa, where 
he rented laud and farmed until 1895. He 
then bought a quarter section of land in 
Dickinson count}-, this state, and in [897 
bought eighty acres in Burnside township, 
Webster county, to which two years later, he 
added an adjoining eight}- acres. Ills farm 
on section 27 is the home place, upon which 
is a large rural home residence, and com- 
modious barns, besides modern improve- 
ments in the line of machinery. While ex- 
tensively engaged in general farming, con- 
siderable attention is devoted to stock rais- 
ing, and grazing upon his meadows Mr. 



Flickinger has man} standard bred cattle 
and horses. He also feeds a great deal of 
stock-. 

Idle following children have been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. flickinger: Rosa, In rn in 
1879, is now tlie wife of Christ Howd< 
Burnside township; Amel, born in r88o, is 
at present working out; Alfred, horn in 
[881, Christ, horn in [882, Ernest, horn in 
[883, are all living on the home place; Paul, 
born in [885, died at the age of eight years; 
Edward, born in 1887, Herman, horn in 
1891, Clara, horn in [895, Verne, horn in 
1898, and August, horn in 1900, are with 
their parents. 

Mr. Flickinger is a member of the Evan- 
gelical church. In political affiliations he is 
associated with the Republican party and 
has been an active member of the school 
board. In general affairs of the township 
he is keenly alive to the best interests of the 
community and may lie counted mi to fur- 
ther any worthy cause. Aside from his 
farm management he has interests in many 
directions. 

*-►♦ — 

CHARLES X. DANIELS. 

In passing through Webster count}' a 
stranger is impressed by the prosperous and 
attractive appearance of many of the rural 
homes. Among those that are conspicuous 
for first-class improvements may be men- 
tioned the estate of Mr. Daniels, comprising 
five hundred and eight} acres and forming 
what is everywhere conceded to he one of 
the finest farms in the entire county. The 
larger p >rti< in of the pn iperty lies 1 m sectii ms 
(). 4 and 5, Webster township, hut the estate 
also extends into section 33, Washington 
township, where stands the commodious and 
comfortable residence, erected in 1805 by 



030 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the present owner. Large barns, cattle 
sheds and granaries add to the complete 
equipment of the farm, and over the whole 
estate is an air of thrift that bespeaks a 
capable head and intelligent management. 

In Bureau county, Illinois, Charles X. 
Daniels was born July 8, 1854. When a small 
child lie came to Webster county, Iowa, with 
his father, Daniel Daniels, who is mentioned 
elsewhere in this volume. For a time he at- 
tended the Daniels school in Webster town- 
ship, held in a log cabin built and at one 
time occupied by his grandfather .Mercer. 
Primarily educated in these primitive sur- 
roundings) he was later given more substan- 
tial advantages, and was a student in the 
Webster City school. At the age of nine- 
teen he secured a teacher's certificate and for 
five years afterward he taught in Washing- 
ton and Webster townships. However, 
teaching was but a stepping stone to the 
occupation of farming, which he had chosen 
for his life work, and as sunn as he was in 
a position to undertake farm pursuits inde- 
pendently, he began to till the soil. 

The marriage of Mr. Daniels was solem- 
nized in Webster township, March 23, 1879, 
and united him with Arminda E. Widick, 
who was born August 4, 1859, in Macon 
county, Illinois, five miles from the city of 
Decatur. In childhood she was brought to 
Iowa by her father, Henry Widick, who be- 
came an influential resident of Webster 
county. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Dan- 
iels are as fellows: Charles E., born April 
8, 1SS1 Elsie 1 ; ... born < )ctober 6, 1882; 
Mary Elizabeth. July 30. 1885; Alice May. 
who \\a> horn May 5, [888, and died Octo- 
ber 14. 1901 ; John M., born March 1. 1892; 
and Blanche Ethel, March 3, 1896. 

After his marriage Mr. Daniels bought 
eighty acres of land in Webster township. 
The property was partially improved and he 



proceeded to place it under first-class culti- 
vation, planting the various cereals to which 
the si ;1 was adapted. With the excepts n of 
( ne year spent in Kansas, for the benefit of 
his wife's health, be continued to reside on 
this estate until 1889, when he purchased 
and settled upon his present homestead. Be- 
sides the latter property, he owns one hun- 
dred and sixty acres in Hodgeman county, 
Kansas. Numbered among his various in- 
terests is his connection with the Lehigh 
Valley Savings Bank as a stockholder, 
while his wife holds stock in the First 
National Bank of Lehigh. It has never 
been his desire to enter the field of poli- 
tics, and he has always refused to accept 
official positions; vet he is interested in 
whatever promotes the welfare of county, 
state and nation, and believes thoroughly in 
Republican principles. Fraternally he is a 
member of the Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
ica, while in religious associations he is con- 
nected with the Methodist Episcopal church, 
of which he is a trustee, and to the mainten- 
ance of which he has been a regular con- 
tributor. 



ABE ANDERSON. 



One of the well-known and most highly 
esteemed citizens of Webster county, who 
has been prominently identified with its agri- 
cultural and public interests since locating 
here in 1875, is Abe Anderson, the owner 
of one of the most valuable estates in Day- 
ton township. 

The birth of Mr. Anderson occurred Au- 
gust 27. 1839. in Sweden, and he is a son of 
Andrew and Mary Anderson, who were na- 
tives of that country, where they spent their 
lives. Our subject was the second in order 
of birth in. a family of four sons and three 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



631 



daughters, the others being: J< hn, who mar- 
ried Louisa Solemans, and resides in Swe- 
den: Andrew, who married Mary Swan- 
son and is a resilient of Dayton township, 
this county; August C, who married Ma- 
tilda Johnson, and lives in Dayton township; 
Christiana, wife of Lot Leburg, of Chicago : 
Mary, wife of Evine Burygree, of Har- 
court, Iowa: and Eva Lottie, who lives un- 
married, in Chicago. 

In his early years out subject attended 
the schoi )ls 1 if his native country, and accord- 
ing' to the law. served his allotted time in 
the Swedish army. He worked for eight 
years at the carpenter trade and also was a 
practical farmer, before he decided to emi- 
grate to America. His mother felt as if 
-he could not part from her son, but he gave 
her his promise that he would return in a 
few years, hoping that fortune would favor 
him in the new land. 

Misfortune overtook hum almost at the 
first stage of his journey as the boat on 
which he sailed from Guttenborg was so 
heavily loaded that it was stopped by the 
authorities, causing a week's delay at Got- 
tenborg. -However the matter was finally 
adjusted and he landed in the city of New 
York July 5. 1866. Crossing the continent 
as far as Chicago, Mr. Anderson secured 
remunerative employment in the plow fac- 
tiry of Young & Hapgood, where he re- 
mained for one year, and then went to St. 
I. 'in-. Missouri, and was an employe in the 
Baxnum plow factory for seven years, in the 
meantime living a frugal life and saving his 
money. Remembering his promise to his 
devoted old mothei, and also remembering 
the maiden who was awaiting him in the old 
home, he then decided to return on a visit 
to Sweden, and reached there in 1875. The 
J03 of all concerned may be imagined, but 



Mr. Anderson found hi- mother blind. This 
wa- an affliction indeed but he had lived in 
a o untry where such wonderful surgical 
operations were performedd that he was de- 
termined to take his mother to a specialist 
in the city of G ttenb irg and see if her sight 
could not lie restored. lie had the great 
satisfaction of not only having the difficulty 
removed, but of her being able to read, by 
the use 1 f glasses. 

When a year had been spent among the 
old scene-. Mr. Anderson began to feel as 
if he must return to the bustle and oppor- 
tunity of the United States again, and with 
him came Miss Anna Bankson, to whom he 
was married July 2S, 1875. in the city of 
I Imago. She was born in Sweden. Feb- 
ruary 24. 1844. a daughter of Abraham and 
Christiana Bankson. both natives of Swe- 
den. Her father died when she was a child, 
and her mother in 1873. Her brothers bofch 
reside in Sweden. A family of four chil- 
dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, 
namely: Hilda. Carl, John, and Teckla, 
who died at the age of seventeen years. 

After his marriage Mr. Anderson de- 
cided to become a farmer and landowner, 
and with that end in view came to Iowa, lo- 
cating in Dayton township, Webster coun- 
ty, where he owned a one-third interest in 
a quarter section. Three years later his 
brother, C. A., and John O. Swanson dis- 
solved partnership, the two brothers taking 
the land and Mr. Swanson taking the stock 
and implements, Die brothers still own that 
tract. C. A. living on the north half of it, 
and our subject on the south half. At the 
time of settlement this was raw prairie land, 
and they had all the improving to do. The 
nearest railroad was at Boone and Fort 
Dodge, and the trading was necessarily done 
at a little store in the then straggling village 



^ 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of Dayton. All of the grain had to be 
hauled to Grand Junction, a distance of six- 
teen miles. 

Mr. Anderson has lived to see so many 
wonderful changes that the country almost 
seem- like a different one, and he has done 
his full share in the progress and develop- 
ment. He has built one of the finest resi- 
liences and one of the best barns in Webster 
count}' and now owns three hundred and 
twent} acres of land, on sections 29 and 30, 
Dayton township. He has taken an active 
interest in public affairs, has been secretary 
of the school hoard for twenty-one years, 
road commissioner and school trustee. Al- 
though a firm adherent of the Republican 
party, he desires no political honors, only 
being willing to serve in some position 
which he knows will enable him to benefit 
his locality. The religions connection of 
the family is with the Mission church at 
Harcourt, Iowa. 



BERNARD SUER. 



One of the thoroughly successful stock 
raisers and farmers of Webster county is 
Bernard Slier, whose farm of one hundred 
and twenty acres is located in Burnside and 
Yell townships. He was born in Schuylkill 
county. Pennsylvania, July 15, 184(1, his fa- 
ther being a native, of Hanover. Germany, 
while his mother, formerly Elizabeth Fecht, 
was born in Coeurlouir, France. The par- 
ents were married in Pennsylvania and lived 
there for a few years, after which they re- 
moved to Grant comity, Wisconsin, where 
they owned property and where the father 
died in March, 1 S57. while the mother lived 
until 1872. The elder Sner was a Democrat 
in national politics, and was a member of 
the Catholic church. 



At a practically early age Bernard Suer 
was confronted with the serious and re- 
sponsible side of life, for when twelve years 
1 1 age his father was killed in the lead mines 
of Wisconsin, and the support of the rest of 
the family rested upon his inexperienced 
shoulders. He was therefore obliged to dis- 
continue his training at the little log school 
house in the vicinity of his home, and to 
settle down on the farm which his father had 
never occupied and there work hard fn lin- 
early morning until late at night. The 
breaking out of the Civil war afforded an 
opportunity for a little broader existence, 
and at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 31, 
[863, he enlisted in Company C, First \\ is- 
consin Volunteer Cavalry, and became a 
soldier in the Army of the Cumberland. He 
participated in many of the engagements of 
the war and in many skirmishes of minor 
importance, and assisted in the capture of 
the noted southern leader, Jefferson Davis, 
May jo, 1865. On July 16, 1865, he was 
honorably discharged from the service, and 
then returned to his home, where he re- 
mained for a vear. 

In the spring of 1866 Mr. Suer went to 
St. Louis and worked in the rock quarries 
and brick yards, and in the fall went to New 
Orleans and remained until the following 
spring. Fie afterwards returned to St. 
Louis and remained until 1869, which year 
found him in Kansas City, Missouri, work- 
ing in the brick yards. He then located 
in Ray county, that state, where he worked 
in the coal mines. 

On March 21, 1873, Mr. Suer married 
Louise Lierman, who was born in St. 
Louis, October 2j, 1858, her father, Daniel 
Lierman, being a native of Germany, and 
her mother, Mary (Flicke) Lierman, being 
born in Alsace Lorraine, now a province of 
Germany. Her parents were married in St. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



633 



Louis and removed to Ra) county, Mis- 
s< uri, where the father bought a farm, upon 
which lie lived until his death in [872. His 
•wife, who survives him and is living in 
Lexington, Missouri, is the mother of three 
sons and three daughters: Michael, who 
married Minnie Houth and lives in Rich- 
mi nd, Missouri; Louise, who married Bern- 
ard. Suer; May. who married George Phil- 
lipps and lives at Kalo, Iowa; John, who 
married Nora Ashford and lives in Lex- 
ington, Missouri, and Edward, who mar- 
ried Emma Ashford and lives in Lexingti a. 
dr. and Mrs. Suer have been horn the 
following children: Benjamin, who was 
tx rn Jul\- 4. 1876, and married Ruby Ford, 
h\ whi in he had two children. Archie and 
Hazel; John F., who was born May 19. 
[878, and married Bertha Holloway; Will- 
iam F., born September 21, 1880: Daniel 
G., born April 24. 1882; Frank A., born 
May 11, 1884; Emma May, horn July 23. 
[888; Bertha Anna, born Oct' her 27, [89I : 
Mary Elizabeth, burn May 23, 1894; and 
Elizabeth Allen, born December 25, 1896. 
After his marriage Mr. Suer lived in 
Richmond, Missouri, until 1874. at which 
time he removed to Boone county, Iowa, 
and in 1877 returned to Richmond, where 
he remained until 1879. Upon removing 
to Lehigh he bought a farm and worked in 
the mines and now has one hundred and 
twenty acres of as fine land as can be found 
in Burnside township. The rural home is 
finely constructed and beautifully located, 
and the improvements are the latest. The 
land at the time of purchase was practically 
unimproved, and be has placed it under cul- 
tivation and built the new home wherein he 
now lives. Mr. Suer raises stock for mar- 
ket, and lias the reputation of being one of 
the most successful stock men in the county. 
IK- is fraternally associated with the Inde- 



pendent ( )rder of Odd Fellows and the 
Modern Woodmen of America, and is a 
member of the Grand Army of the Republic. 
He also is a member of the Catholic church, 
while his wife is associated with the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church. 



DANIEL W. VANDEVENDER. 

Many years ago, during the days 1 1" the 
prairie schooners, one of those primitive 
conveyances, drawn by a yoke of oxen, 
wended it way across the country from Ohio 
tc Iowa. Many of the most successful men 
- 1 [owa well remember a journey of this 
kind and their tin ughts often wander back 
to the days before railroads were introduced, 
before telegraphs and telephones had 
brought the whole country into the most 
intimate relations, and before L wa had be- 
et me one of the greatest commonwealths of 
the United States. The wagon referred to 
brought the Vandevender family to Webster 
count}". Iowa, two other families coming 
at the same time and settling here. This 
was in 1855. A son was horn into the fam- 
ily, December 29. 1859. an ^ he it is who 
forms the subject of this article. His birth 
occurred in Washington township and he 
is still a resident of the same, making his 
home on section 28. 

Until fourteen years of age Mr. Van- 
devender attended the sch< "1 in district Xo. 
2. Washington township. He then went ta 
Buchanan county, this state, and secured 
work on a farm near Independence, receiv- 
ing seventeen dollars a month, which was 
considered splendid wages for a boy. After 
one year there he returned to his home and 
remained a year, then went to Prairie du 
Chien. Wisconsin, and from there to the vil- 



634 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



lage of Seneca on the Wisconsin river, where 
he spent four months. From Wisconsin he 
went to Kansas, where lie was employed in 
Miami county for six months, and then 
w ent t< i Shaw nee county. For a year he was 
employed with the Atchison, Topeka & 
Santa Fe Railroad at Topeka. Returning 
to Iowa from Kansas, he spent eight months 
in Webster county and then went to the 
northern part of the state. After his mar- 
riage he settled on the homestead on section 
28, Washington township, where he has 
since resided, having in 1899 bought out the 
other heirs to the property, and now- owns 
eighty acres of finely improved land. In 
addition to the raising of general farm 
products, lie gives considerable attention to 
the raising, buying and selling of stock. A 
progressive spirit characterizes him as a 
citizen. It has always been his aim to sup- 
port those movements that are calculated to 
benefit the people and develop local resources. 
Like all of his name in Webser county, lie- 
is energetic, capable and intelligent. Po- 
litically he is a Republican, and on the regu- 
lar party ticket has been elected to all < I 
the township offices, being at this writing 
township clerk. In fraternal relations he is 
connected with the Modern Woodmen Camp 
at Duncombe. 

In Mitchell county, Iowa, June 11. 1882, 
Mr. Vandevender married Miss Minnie I. 
Markell, who was born in Wisconsin Sep- 
tember 6, 1866. Her father. S. V. Markell, 
was a native of Xew York and in early life 
moved to Wisconsin, where he married 
Elizabeth Sickels. In 1807 they settled in 
Mitchell county, Iowa, purchasing a farm 
in Union township north of Osage. Here 
Mr. Markell has since resided with the ex- 
ception of a short time in South Dakota, 
where he conducted a general store at Win- 
fred. Politically he is a Republican, and 



in religion adheres to Methodist Episcopal 
doctrines. His wife died in January, 1881, 
and was buried at Stacyville, Mitchell coun- 
ty. They were the parents of the following- 
named children: Ella A., who married S. 
G. Palmer, of Mitchell county, and has five 
children; William, of St. Paul, Minesota, 
who first married Emma Nye and after her 
death was united with Elsa Failing, by 
whom he has three children : Cecilia, of Min- 
neapolis, Minnesota, who is married and has 
two children: Minnie, now Mrs. Vande- 
vender; Jessie, who married William Cults, 
lias one child and lives near Portland, Ore- 
gon; and Hettie, who died at three years of 
age. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Vande- 
vender three daughters and a son were born, 
namely : Edith May, born February 24, 
1884; Mabel Louisa, March 27, 1886; 
George Harrison, August 5, 1888; and Etta 
Leona. January 18, 1899. 



C. A. GABRIELSOX. 

C. A. Gabrielson is a native of Sweden, 
a land which has contributed some of the 
best citizens to the United States, and par- 
ticularly has Iowa benefited by this emigra- 
tion. He was born February 26, 1855, and 
is a son of John Gabrielson, who brought 
his family to America when our subject was 
quite young. 

In the schools of Dayton township, 
Webster count}-, Iowa. Mr. Gabrielson ac- 
quired bis early education in the English 
language, later becoming one of the pupils 
in the Leonard district school, the sessions 
of which were held in a log cabin. During 
the winters, until he was twenty-one years 
old, Mr. Gabrielson embraced every possible 
opportunity for obtaining an education. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



635 



During the summers from the time he was 
ten years of age, he was employed in some 
furm of useful work. His first work was 
for Eli Geyer, driving a hor.se used in op- 
erating a machine making broom handles, 
for which he was paid ten cents a day, this 
being" in 1865. 

Mr. Gabrielson then worked for his fa- 
ther for three years, assisting him in break- 
ing prairie on the home farm. This was 
followed bj five years of continuous work 
for Daniel Northum, during which time he 
learned every detail of practical farming. 
Next he was employed by Henry Girdy, now- 
deceased, and then for one year by Jonas 
Hedburg, and also Peter Ostrum. Mr. 
Gabrielson next rented a farm and managed 
it for two years, during which time he had 
the advantage of boarding at home. About 
this time he was offered good wages on the 
Northwestern Railroad, and remained with 
thai corporation for one year, and the fol- 
lowing year with the Minneapolis & St. 
Louis Railroad, after which he located on 
the tine farm he now occupies. 

Mr. Gabrielson is now the fortunate 
owner of one hundred and sixty acre- of 
valuable land on section 7, Dayton town- 
ship. Webster county, which lie has greatly 
improved. His residence, barns, fence- and 
orchards testify to his industry, and he is 
now one of the best agriculturists and sub- 
stantial men of the community. 

Mr. Gabrielson was married June 22. 
1882, to .Miss Clara Nelson, who was born 
May 9. 1857, in Sweden, a daughter of J. 
P. and Anna (Peterson) Nelson, both of 
whom were also natives of Sweden. Her 
family came to America in 1862, and settled 
in Boone county, Iowa, where .Mr. Nelson 
purchased one hundred and sixty acres of 
river land, improved it and resided upon it 
until his death, in February, 1870, his burial 



being in Linn cemetery. lie was a consist- 
ent member of the Swedish Lutheran 
church, and a Republican in his political be- 
lief. The mother of Mrs. Gabrielson died 
in September, 1893, and was laid to rest 
by the side of her husband. They reared 
a family of ten children, namely : Frank, 
who served one year in the Civil war. mar- 
ried Louisa Nelson and lived in Madrid, 
Iowa, where he died at the age of fifty-four 
years; Caroline, deceased, was the wife of 
Peter Ostrum, of Dayton, Iowa; Edward, 
who served three years in the Civil "war, 
married Louisa Lunblad, and lived in Boone 
county. Iowa, where he died in 1884; < Iscar 
lived at Dayton, Iowa, where he died un- 
married in July, 1897, at the age of forty- 
nine: David died in 1887, at the age of 
thirty-five years; John, who died in (897, 
married Matilda Anderson and lived in Lost 
Grove township; August resides in Wash- 
ington; ( 'lara is now Airs. < iabrielson ; Theo- 
dore died m Sweden; and Gustine died in 
the first week after the arrival of the family 
in America, at Mineral Ridge. Iowa. 

The children born to our subject and 
wife were: Carl ( )scar, born September 22, 
1883, died June 10, 1884: Vena, born No- 
vember 6, 1S84. died August 18, [887; 
Vernef is the twin brother of Vena; Hat- 
tie was born March 28, [886; Amy May 
was born April 4, [889; Van Axel was born 
December 17, 1890; Clara Axeline was born 
December 14, [891; and Victor Irving was 
born April 26, 1895. 

After marriage Mr. Gabrielson and wife 
located on their present farm and there they 
reared their children and have become iden- 
tified with the interests of the locality. Mr. 
Gabrielson has been particularly successful 
in raising his high-grade cattle — polled An- 
gus and shorthorns — and also Poland 
China hogs. 



636 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In public affairs Air. Gabrielson has been 
verv prominent and lias efficiently served for 
four years as township assessor, and has 
also been road commissioner and school di- 
rector. Socially he is connected with Syca- 
more Camp. M. W. A., of Dayton, and is a 
generous contributor to the Swedish Luther- 
an church of Dayton. His success in life 
may he attributed in a great measure to his 
energy and industry, and he enjoys the es- 
teem of all who know him. and is generally 
regarded as one of the progressive men of 
the vicinity. 



THEODORE JAQUES. 

A lifelong resident of Iowa, now resid- 
ing on section 9, Washington township, 
Webster count}-, Air. Jaques was born in 
Danville township, Des Moines county, this 
state, November J4. 184c;. a son of Isaac and 
Elizabeth (lies) Jaques, natives, respectively, 
of New York and Ohio. Some years after 
their marriage the parents, in 1842, moved to 
Iowa, settling near Burlington and purchas- 
ing farm property. In [852 they came to 
Webster county and entered a tract of land 
in Yell township, where they remained until 
they died, he in 1873 and she in 1886. Their 
bodies were interred in the cemetery at Bor- 
der Plains. Porn of their union were ten 
children. The eldest. Prances, became the 
wife of Francis Fuller and is now deceased. 
He has since married again and lives in 
Fort Dodge. I. D. married Charlotte 
Chandler and makes his home in Okarche, 
Oklahoma. The subject of this sketch is 
the third of the family. James married 
Marie Rowey and lives in Webster county. 
John P. is also married and living in this 
county. Lorenzo D. married Victoria Sim- 
mons and resides in Kossuth county, this 



state. Lydia is the wife of Gilbert Town- 
send, of Webster county. The other chil- 
dren died in infancy. 

The primary education of Theodore 
Jaques was secured in the Port Dodge 
schools, and later he studied in the district 
schools of Veil township. At the age of 
fifteen he began to work as a farm hand and 
soon was receiving thirteen dollars a month. 
On starting out in the world for himself, he 
rented land in Washington township, where 
he remained fourteen years, meantime sav- 
ing his earnings in order that he might in- 
vest in property. 

On January j<S, [882, at Border Plains, 
he married Rodasky Florilla Southard, who 
was born in Des Moines comity, Iowa, Au- 
gust 30, 1852, and was a daughter of David 
Southard. After his marriage Air. Jaques 
settled upon a farm which he had purchased, 
comprising eighty acres on section i), Wash- 
ington township, and he has since conducted 
farm pursuits in a scientific and skillful 
manner, which proves that he made no mis- 
take in selecting' his calling. In politics he 
is a pronounced Republican and fraternally 
affiliates with the Odd Fellows. I lis wife 
died at their home October 16, 1899. 



X. II. HART. 

X. H. Hart, who for almost half a cen- 
tury has been connected with the agricul- 
tural and general advancement of Webster 
county, was born in Glastonbury, Hartford 
count}'. Connecticut, Jul}- io. 1826, a son 
of Xorman and Alarcia (Hale) Hart, hon- 
ored pioneers of this count}-. It was in 
[854 that the family came west and took up 
their residence in Otho township, Webster 
county, Iowa, when this section of the coun- 




NORMAN HART, Jr. 




MRS. NORMAN HART. Jr. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



641 



try was almost a wilderness, there being 
luit two families living in Fort Dodge at 
that nine. Here the mother died March 13, 
[875, at the age of seventy-three years, 
while the father lived until March 30, 1878, 
and had also attained the age of seventy- 
three at the time of his death. Throughout 
the greater part of his life he followed farm- 
ing, and met with good success. In the 
family were four children, three suns and 
one daughter, of whom N. H. is the oldest; 
L. \\ . owns land in Otho township, hut is 
now a widower and is living with his 
daughter, Mrs. Cora Payne, in Hamilton 
county, Iowa; Caroline E. is the wife of 
F. B. Drake, a retired farmer of ( Hho town- 
ship; and George 1'.. of Otho township, 
married first Orlinda Moore and after her 
death wedded ,Pervilla Allsever. 

Educationally Mr. Hart was better 
favored than the average farmer's son dur- 
ing his time, for after finishing the training 
at the district schools he entered Mission 
Institute, an advanced school near Quincy, 
llliii' lis. where he remained between 1840 
and 1844. He then returned to the home 
farm and assisted in its management, and 
was thus engaged until his marriage. Sep- 
tember 22. i860. His wife was formerly 
Miss Jane M. Fuller, who was born in New 
York state. September 13. 1830. and taught 
with good success in the district schools of 
Ohio and Iowa for about twelve years 
prior to his marriage. Her father died at 
Fort Dodge. Iowa, in [871, and was buried 
nn Otho cemetery, after which her mother 
made her heme with Mrs. Mart, at 
whose home she died in March. 1895. 
In the family besides Mrs. Hart there 
were three sons and three daughters: 
O. P. lives in North Dakota ; Edwin died 
in Kansas in 1-86] ; Clark, who died in 1895. 
married Rowena A. Moore, and was for 



nver thirty years associated with Mr. Hart 
in the general farming and stock-raising 
business; Sarah married Dr. Stimpson and 
both died in < >bio; Mr-. Deborah II. Claff- 
lin i- a w id' '\\ and lives near Kalo, I 
and Mrs. Mary 11. Andrew- is also a 
widow and lives in < >tho township. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Hart has been born one daughter, 
Theta ().. who was born October 2- . [863, 
and is now the wife of George F. Findlay. 
She was educated in the public schools, and 
attended Olivet College at Olivet. Michi- 
gan, for three years, subsequently gradu- 
ating from the college at Tabor, Iowa. She 
engaged successfully in teaching for several 
3 ears. 

After his marriage Mr. Hart started out 
in engage in independent farming, and set- 
tled upon the land which ha- -nice been the 
source of his increasing properity, on sec- 
tion 20, Otho township. He is the owner 
1 if nne hundred and eighty-eight acres of 
land under a high state of cultivation, a 
1" in' 11 of which i- rented to other parties, 
the balance being devoted particularly to the 
raising of high-grade stuck, mostly short 
horns, and Poland China lings. Mr. Hart 
is a Republican in national politics, and has 
at different times held almost all the town- 
ship offices within the gift of his fellow 
townsmen. He has also exerted a n 
and philanthropical influence in the com- 
munity, is a generous contributor to all 
worthy causes, and both he and his wife 
take an active and prominent part in church 
and Sunday school wrk. For about thirty- 
live years she has been teacher of the pri- 
mary class in the < Itho Sunday school. She 
is a zealous Christian worker and a leading- 
member of the Ladies Aid Society. She is 
also very proficient in culinary matters, is a 
good housekeeper and an excellent enter- 
tainer. Mr. Hart has long been a member 



642 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of the County Sabbath School Association, 

and in support of that cause has for the past 
thirteen years attended each of the township 
Sunday school conventions in all of the 
twenty-three townships of Webster county. 
For twelve years he has also been a member 
of the executive committee of the State Sab- 
bath School Association, and for the past 
four years has been chairman of the auditing 
committee. He always endeavors to attend 
every meeting of the State Association and 
also the meetings of the executive commit- 
tee, and is untiring in his work for the Sab- 
bath school and all undertakings for the bet- 
terment of his fellowmen. 



ALBERT SOUTHARD. 

The farm owned and occupied by Mr. 
Southard lies on section 17. Washington 
township, and comprises one hundred and 
twenty acres, bearing indications of intelli- 
gent oversight on the part of the owner. 
Mr. Southard was born in Danville, Des 
Moines county. Iowa. August 31. [856, and 
is a son of David and Phoebe (Wilrox) 
Southard, the former born in Licking coun- 
ty, Ohio, September 27, 1819, and the latter 
born in Providence, Rhode Island, Novem- 
ber 1, 1819. They were married in Licking 
county, Ohio, December 1 1, 1841, and after- 
ward continued to make that county their 
home for five years, when they settled in 
Will count}-. Illini i-. However, one year 
later they returned to Licking county. In 
1849 they again came west, this time set- 
tling in Des Moines county, low a. Coming 
to Webster county in 1857. the father 
bought a tract of land which is now the site 
of Duncombe. The family made their home 
in Fort Dodge and then in Homer, but soon 



came to Washington township,, where the 
father died November 13, 1874. Since then 
the mother has remained on the homestead, 
with her youngest child and only son, Al- 
bert. 

The oldest child of David and Phoebe 
Southard was Luetta Almeda, who was 
born in Licking county. Ohio, February 19, 
1843, and died November 26, 1844. The 
second daughter, Rachel Elizabeth, who was 
born in the same county August 17, 1845, 
became the wife of William Welsh, who 
died in Washington township, Webster 
county, in the fall of 1890. The third 
daughter. Rodasky Florilla", was born Au- 
gust 30, 1852, and became the wife of Theo- 
dore Jaques, of Washington township, 
where she died October 16, 1899. The re- 
maining member of the family circle is the, 
subject of this sketch. The children of his 
sister, Mrs. Welsh, were as follows: Ida 
Viola-, born December 3, 1870. died August 
21, 1877; Albert Roy, born July 22, 1876, 
married Louise Hilibsch August 1, 1900, 
since which time they have made their home 
in Pleasant Valley; Phoebe Ora was born 
March 24. 1881 ; and William Ray, August 
24, 1883. 

The marriage of Albert Southard took 
place in Washington township on New 
Year's day of 1885, and united him with 
Ida Wellington, who was born in Rolling- 
stone county, near Winona, Minnesota, De- 
cember 19, 1858. Her parents, William F. 
ami Anna (Leitch) Wellington, natives, re- 
spectively, of Batavia, New York, and Ire- 
land, were married in Minnesota, and some 
year- later moved to Dane county, Wiscon- 
sin, where Mr. Wellington died July 18, 
1865, leaving two children. Ida, now Mrs. 
Southard, and Laura, Mrs. Samuel Jami- 
son, of Portland, Oregon. In 1870 Mrs. 
Wellington was agfain married, becoming 




NORMAN HART, Sr. 




MRS. NORMAN HART, Sr. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



647 



the wife of Robert Carden, a native of Vir- 
ginia. They moved to Webster county, 
Iowa, and bought a farm, on which Mrs. 
Carden died August 21, 1894. Of this 
union three children were horn, namely : 
Anna, who married John Berleen and lives 
in Hamilton county, Iowa; Susie, Mrs. Al- 
bert Coate, of Webster county; and Will- 
iam, who married Nellie Perry and lives in 
Webster county. 

The genealogy of the Southard family 
is traced back to England. The mother of 
our subject's father was a Miss Snyder and 
came from Germany. Two of the great- 
grandfathers of Mr. Southard were soldiers 
in the Revolutionary war. Mrs. Si utliard is 
also a descendant of English ancestry, the 
Wellingtons being allied to the Duke of 
Wellington stock, while through her mother 
she traces her lineage to Scotch-Irish an- 
cestors. 



J. P. JOHNSON. 

Among the prosperous citizens of Day- 
ton township. Webster county. Iowa, is J. 
P. Johnson, who was born February 24, 
1834, in Sweden, and is the son of Gernan 
and Fredrika Swanson, having changed his 
name to Johnson since coming to this coun- 
try. The parents lived in Sweden, where 
the father died, but the mother afterward 
came to America and settled at Lost Grove, 
Webster county. Iowa, where she died in 
the early part of the year 1901. < )ur sub- 
ject was one of a family of eight children. 
the others being Lotta. widow of J. Neur- 
leen, and a resident of Stockholm. Sweden; 
Christina, wife of Alfred Rinkquist, who 
lives near Gowrie, Iowa; Johannah, wife of 
John Carsonson, residing near Harcourt, 
Iowa; Matilda, wife of Alfred Burgman, of 
eene county. Iowa; Clara, wife of John 



Main, who resides near Leonard, Iowa; and 
Frank, who married Mary Johnson and re- 
sides in ( Jalesburg, Illinois. 

Our subject attended school [or a short 
time in his native land, in all amounting to 
about two years. Ills father was a poor 
man and could afford but few educal 
advantages to his children. All of the chil- 
dren were forced to work hard upon the 
farm, and in [866 our subject decided to 
seek his fortunes in a new land. Borrowing 
the price of his passage, he sailed from Got- 
tenberg and landed in New York after a 
long voyage. From that city he went di- 
rect to Altoona, Illinois, where he worked 
for a farmer, earning the first year two 
hundred and fifteen dollars; the second year 
two hundred and forty dollars ; and the third 
year between five and six hundred dollars. 
Every penny of this money that it was pos- 
sible for him to save he put aside. The fol- 
lowing two years he saved nine hundred 
dollars, and then rented a farm of one hun- 
dred acres in Knox count}, Illinois, paying 
five dollars and twenty-five cents per acre 
for it. The first year he lost money on ac- 
count of drought, but the next year he had 
better success, ami after seven years of rent- 
ing, in 1876, he removed to Iowa and located 
on the place he now owns on sectii 11 27. 
Dayton township, Webster county, where he 
purchased one hundred acres of land at 
twenty-two dollars and fifty cents pei 
a part of which was under cultivation, but 
there were no buildings. This he at 1 nee 
remedied and now owns two hundred 
on section 31. Dayton township, and has 
one of the besl farms in Webster county, 
and it is supplied with excellent buildings, 
a comfortable home and substantial barn. 

On September 30. 1X71, Mr. Johnson 
was married to Johannah I )orothea Burman, 
a native of Swollen, born in 1S50. and a 



6 4 8 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



daughter of Andrew Mungers. Mrs. John- 
son lias une brother and two sisters, name- 
ly: ifelen. wife of George Lundeen. of 
West Altoona, Iowa; Amanda, wife Alfred 
Ericson, of Webster county, Iowa; and Al- 
fred, who married the sister of our subject, 
Miss Matilda Johnson. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Johnson the following children have been 
born: Esther Christina, born February 19, 
[876, married Amiel Ruddeen, of Dayton 
township, and the}- have three children, — 
Omar. Melville and a baby; Anna Elizabeth, 
born September 18, 1871, married John 
Singrain, of Greene count}-. Iowa, and they 
have two children, — Melvin and a baby 
girl; Fr-ank J., born July 20, 1874, resides 
with his father and manages the _farm; 
Clara, born April 20, 1876, resides with 
her parents: Obed S., born May 5, 1881, 
graduated from Tobins College at Fort 
Dodge, and is now engaged in teaching 
school, being a great student; Nellie Rebec- 
ca, born June 9. 1887, is attending school 
and resides with her parents. 

In politics Mr. Johnson is a Republican 
and has served as school director for a num- 
ber of years and has often been nominated 
for other offices, but refused to run. He 
attends the Mission church at Harcourt and 
is very earnest in his church work. Having 
attained his present prosperity by hard work 
and careful management, he may well feel 
satisfied with the result of his endeavors, 
and he is held in high esteem by his neigh- 
bors for his many excellent qualities. 



ORRIX L. REED. 



Orrin L. Reed, a prominent and success- 
ful farmer of Cooper township, was born 
in Michigan, on the 27th of October, 1858, 



his parents being Hiram and Mary ( 13utler) 
Reed, who were natives of Vermont and 
Michigan, respectively. In 1866 the family 
came to Webster county, Iowa, and the fa- 
ther purchased a tract of wild land in 
Cooper township, which has been converted 
into the fine farm now occupied by our sub- 
ject. To the improvement and cultivation 
of his land Hiram Reed devoted his time 
ami attention throughout life, and was a 
sturdy and progressive farmer. After a use- 
ful and well spent life, he died February 2, 
1901, honored and respected by all who 
knew him. He was a stanch Republican in 
politics, and was a faithful and consistent 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
to which his wife also belongs. She sur- 
vives him and still resides on the old home 
farm. One child, Orrin L.. our subject, was 
the result of this union. They also reared 
Leonora, who lived with them twenty years. 
She is now the wife of John Paine. 

Mr. Reed of this review was only eight 
years old when he accompanied bis parents 
on their removal to Iowa, and is indebted 
to the public schools of Webster county for 
his educational advantages. Throughout 
his active business life he has followed ag- 
ricultural pursuits, and is to-day success- 
full}' operating the old home farm, which 
consists of two hundred and forty acres of 
rich and arable land under a high state of 
cultivation and well improved. Mr. Reed 
usually raises about fifty acres of corn and 
seventy-five acres of small grain, the re- 
mainder being meadow and pasture land. 
He gives some attention to stock raising, 
keeping from twenty to twenty-five head of 
cattle, a large number of hogs and about 
ten horses, young and old. 

In February, 1884, Mr. Reed, was united 
in marriage with Miss Xettie S. Wood- 
worth, a native of Wisconsin, and an adopt- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



649 



ed daughter of Spencer L. and Frances L. 

\\ lw 1 nli. Mr. Woodwi irth came ti 1 

Webster count) in [863 and settled in Pleas- 
ant Valley township, where the gypsum 
mills are now located. Here he carried on 
farming for aboul thirty years, but is now 
living a retired life. He was again mar- 
ried February 2, 190J. 

Mr. and Mrs. Reed are the parents of 
two children. Floyd X. and Addie L., and 
they are also rearing a little motherless bo} , 
whom they call Robert Henry. In his po- 
litical views Mr. Reed is a Republican and 
gives his support to every enterprise which 
he believes will prove of public benefit. 



JONAS P. LILYARD. 

One of the successful farmers of Burn- 
side township is Jonas P. Lilyard, who was 
born in Sweden in 1853, and until his thir- 
teenth year was reared on the home farm 
in his native land. Owing to the many 
mouths to itmd in the family. Jonas had 
little opportunity to go to school, for it early 
became his duty to contribute his mite to- 
wards the general sustenance. Of the ten 
children besides himself John is a resident 
of Sweden ; Andrew is married and lives in 
Boone county, Iowa; Charles lives in Ne- 
braska; Samuel lives with his wife and chil- 
dren in Nebraska; August is married and 
1- engaged in the real-estate business in 
Colorado; Clans- is a resident of Kansas 
City, Missouri; Frank lives in California; 
Fred is a fanner near Dayton, Iowa; Anna 
is the wife of Albert Leonard and lives in 
Minnesi ita. 

In 1868 the Lilyard family left the home 
of their forefathers in Sweden, and emigrat- 
ed to America in search of better opportuni- 



ties. Upon locating in Henry county, Illi- 
nois, the different members worked out 
among the fanners of the locality, but 
eventually removed u< the vicinity of Day- 
ton, Iowa, where the death of the father oc- 
curred August 5, [879, and where the 
mother is still living. 

With his brothers Jonas P. Lilyard con- 
tinned to work on different farms until his 
marriage with Anna Swenson in Clay town- 
ship, March t8, 1880. Mrs. Lilyard was 
born in Sweden November 10. 1858, and 
came to America with her parents when five 
years of age. The family located in An- 
dover, Illinois, where the father was a day 
laborer, and later lived in Burnside and Clay 
townships, Webster county, Iowa, for about 
thirty years. Mr. Swensen has profited by 
his industry and enterprise since coming to 
America, and is now the possessor of two 
hundred and forty acres of land in Clay 
township. To himself and wife have been 
horn ten children, of whom Mrs. Lilyard is 
the only daughter. The other children are: 
Charles, who married Emma Holstram and 
lives in Henry count)-, Illinois; John, who 
married Ida Johnson and is a general mer- 
chant in Dayton. Iowa: William, who mar- 
ried Mary Johnson and is also in the gen- 
eral merchandise business at Dayton; Vic- 
tor, who married Emma Johnson, and who 
lives in Gowrie, Iowa; Oscar, who is en- 
gaged in business in Burnside; Alfred, who 
married Anna breed and is a farmer in 
Burnside township; Gilbert, who 1- single 
and living at home; Norton, who is also 
unmarried and is engaged in business with 
his brother Victor in Gowrie. Four chil- 
dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lil- 
yard: Floyd, horn January 31, 1881; 
Laura. November 15. 1884; Carrie, May 31, 
1887: and Edith, October 5. 1890. 

After his marriage Mr. Lilyard lived for 



•650 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



a year on rented land near Dayton, and ow- 
ing to the fact that he had practically noth- 
ing tn begin with, the greatest economy and 
thrift prevailed in the little household. He 
later rented other land, upon which he lived 
fur seven years, and (hiring that time pros- 
pects brightened perceptibly, and so much 
money was saved over and above expenses 
that in 1X84 Air. Lilyard purchased eighty- 
acres of land on section 29, Burnside town- 
ship. So successful was he after this in- 
vestment that he was soon enabled to still 
further add to his possessions by the pur- 
chase of forty acres, upon which he now 
lives, and upon which he has a tine and com- 
modious residence, with substantial and 
•convenient outhouses and barns. A general 
farming industry is carried on. and in con- 
nection therewith considerable stock is fed. 
Air. Lilyard is a Republican in national 
politics, and owing to his particular fitness 
has held several positions of trust in his 
township, and has rendered valuable service 
as a member of the school board. Himself 
and family are members of the Swedish 
Evangelical church at Burnside. Air. Lil- 
yard is regarded as one of the reliable and 
substantial farmers and citizens of his town- 
ship, and is esteemed by all who know him. 



. EMORY D. PORTER. 

During an early period in the settlement 
of America the Porter family emigrated 
from Scotland and settled in Rhode Island. 
Later generations made their home in New 
York, and a number bearing the name were 
participants in the Revolutionary war. Irie 
Porter, the father of Emory D., was a na- 
tive of Madison county, New York, and in 
1849. at the time of the gold excitement in 



California, he went to the Pacific coast by 
way of Cape Horn, returning east in 1851. 
However, a year later he again went to 
California, this time by way of the Isthmus 
of Panama. The pursuit of gold and silver 
mining led him as far into the interior 
as Nevada, and there he died in 1871. Fra- 
ternally he was a Mason and in politics voted 
with the Republican party. His wife, who 
bore the maiden name of Susan Jaques, was 
horn in Oneida county. New York, and now 
resides at Independence, Iowa. She is a 
daughter of Yarnum Jaques, a typical fron- 
tiersman, who was an unerring" shot and 
fond of hunting, keeping a pack of hounds 
to accompany him on his hunting expedi- 
tions. In fishing, too, he was unusually 
skillful. He kept up a friendly acquaintance 
with the Indians and frequently traded with 
them for skins and hides. In the midst of 
these various diversions, he did not neglect 
the management of his farm, but was said 
to lie a very progressive and enterprising 
farmer. 

Emory D. Porter was the only son of his 
parents. When a boy he attended school 
in Knoxboro, New York, but left school 
at the age of sixteen and from that time to 
the present has made his own way in the 
world. During 1870 he came to Iowa and 
settled in Washington township, Webster 
countw Few improvements had been at- 
tempted here at that time. The railroad, al- 
ways the forerunner of civilization, had not 
yet been built through the county, and all 
the regions around here were sparsely set- 
tled. With a desire to earn the wherewithal 
necessary to begin farming, he ran a sta- 
tionary engine on the Des Moines river for 
two years, and then rente*d land for a similar 
period. With the means thus accumulated 
he invested in farm property, buying eighty 
acres of partly improved land on section 21, 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



6u 



Washington township. In the bringing of 
this land under cultivation and the, making 
of desirable improvements he has shown 
zeal and a progressive spirit. From time to 
time additional purchases have been made 
until his landed possessions now aggregate 
two hundred and sixty acres, all lying in 
this township. The residence is an attract- 
ive country home with modern improve- 
ments. In addition to the raising of crops 
Mr. Porter has engaged in buying stuck 
and grain here for the past fifteen or more 
years, and he also raises on his farm high- 
grade stock for the market. Additional- to 
these interests, he is a stockholder in the 
First National Hank of Lehigh, Iowa. On 
the Republican ticket he has been elected to 
almost all of the township offices and is now 
township treasurer, which office he has held 
for seventeen years. Since 1886 he has been 
connected with the Masonic Lodge of Le- 
high. He is also a member of Spartan 
Lodge, No. 226, I. O. O. F.,'at Kalo, Iowa, 
and Wahkowsa Camp, No. 53, at Fort 
Dodge. 

In Augusta. New York, April 25, 1869, 
Mr. Porter married Miss Carrie M. Powers, 
who was born in London, England, April 
3, 1849. Her parents, George and Marie 
Raym >r, were natives of England, and came 
to America when she was eighteen months 
old. Her father died when she was six 
years of age and her mother three years 
later, leaving two daughters, Mrs. Porter's 
sister being Emma, wife of A. P. Truth, 
who resides near Munnsville. New York. 
After cuming to the United States Mr. 
Raynor worked at the carpenter's trade un- 
til his death, which occurred n Middletown, 
New York. He and his wife were identified 
with the Baptist church, but Mrs. Porter 
was reared in the Presbyterian faith, and 
thirty-five years ago united with that de- 



nomination at Knoxboro, New York. In 
[899, accompanied by her daughter Cecil, 
she visited in the east, renewing the asso- 
ciations of her girlhood, and at that time 
had the pleasure of meeting her old Sunday- 
school teacher and attending the class of 
which she had been a member so long ago. 
In C900 she united with the Methodist Epis- 
copal church at Lehigh, Iowa, and has since 
been active in its work. After the death of 
her 1111 ither, she was taken into the home of 
A Walter Powers, a farmer whose family 
numbered ten children, and there she re- 
mained until her marriage with Mr. Porter. 
"I hey are the parents of the f< Ah '\\ ing named 
children: Augusta Sabrina, who was born 
June 26, 1870, and died February 14, 1877; 
Emory Edson, who was born August 29, 
[874, and died January jj, 1877; Minnie 
Luella, who was born March 9, 1877, and 
became the wife of Charles Cn nise, 1 >f Wash- 
ington township, November 10, 1897; 
George Woolsey, who was'born March 25, 
1879, and died December 26, 1882; Arthur 
I)., born January 19, 1884; Cecil M., Oc- 
tober 3, 1888; and Robert Earl, September 
3, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Porter also have an 
adopted son, George W., who was born 
April 6, 1883. 



WALLACE W. DANIELS. 

One of the most promising farmers in 
Washington township is Wallace W. Dan- 
iels, who was born in Webster county, Sep- 
tember r6, 1871, a son of David and Sarah 
(Clark) Daniels, for many years identified 
with the best agricultural interests of this 
county. In the Brushy district Mr. Daniels 
attended the public schools, and at the same 
time industriously applied himself to learn- 
ing farming in all its phases. Out of the 



652 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



early experience thus impressed upon his 
mind he evolved practical theories for use 
in future years, many of which have been 
applied with undeniable results. 

Oil January 7, 1894, he married Minnie 
V. Flowers, who was born in Earlville, 
Iowa, October 20, 1871, a daughter of 
George W. Flowers. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Daniels have been burn three interesting 
children: Lloyd Gilbert, born May _>_>. 
1 N04 ; Gertrude Elizabeth, born February 
11. 1896; and Earl Raymond, born Decem- 
ber 3, 1900. 

After his marriage Mr. Daniels contin- 
ued to live on the home place, and for six 
years managed the farm for his mother. At 
the present time he owns a farm of one hun- 
dred and sixty acres on section 8. Washing- 
ton township, and he also owns a quarter 
section of land in Ransom county. North 
Dakota. He devotes his time principally to 
the raising of high-grade stock for market 
purposes, and his stock-raising ami general 
fanning are conducted on scientific and ap- 
proved lines. He has been remarkably suc- 
cessful, and is accounted one of the most 
enterprising and progressive farmers in his 
part of the county. He is a Republican in 
politics, but has never intimated a desire to 
hold office. With his wife he is a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal church at 

Brushy. 

*-•-• 

LUCIUS W. HART. 

Lucius W. Hart has been one of the 
most extensive land owners of Webster 
county and still has valuable possessions. 
For many years he was closely associated 
with farming interests but is now living re- 
tired, enjoying a rest which he has truly 
earned and richly deserves. If we examine 



into the life record to find the secret of his 
success, we will learn that his prosperity 
has been gained along the old and time tried 
maxims, such as "There is no excellence 
without labor," and "Honest}' is the best 
policy." Industrious, energetic and enter- 
prising, he has steadily worked his way up- 
ward until he now occupies a prominent po- 
sition upon the planes of affluence. 

Lucius W. Hart is a native of Glaston- 
bury. Connecticut, born on the 28th of Octo- 
ber, 1837, his parents being Norman and 
Marcia < Hale) Hart. He was the second in 
order of birth in a family of four children, 
all of whom are yet living, the eldest being 
Xorman H.. while diose younger than our 
subject are Carolin-, the wife of E. B. Drake 
and Dr. George Hart. Lucius W. Hart, 
of this review was only six years of age 
when his father with the family left Con- 
necticut for the west, taking up his abode in 
Illinois, in which state the family residence 
was maintained until 1854. In that year 
they removed to Iowa, locating in Webster 
county. 

Mr. Hart of this review was at that time 
twenty-seven years of age. He had ac- 
quired his education in the public schools of 
Illinois, continuing his studies until about 
eighteen years of age, after which his at- 
tention was devoted to farm work. He had 
early received practical experience in the 
work of the fields, having assisted in the 
plowing, planting and harvesting as soon as 
st length fitted him for such duties. 

When twenty-four years of age Mr. 
Hart was united in marriage on the 1st of 
May. 1851, to Miss Catherine Livingston, a 
native of New York, and the daughter of 
rt G. Livingston, who went to Illinois 
at an early date. He was a farmer by occu- 
pation and in his family were eleven chil- 
dren, Mrs. Hart being: the youngest. The 




L. W. HART 




MRS. LUCIUS W. HART 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



657 



marriage of our subject and his wife has 
been blessed with four children. DeWitl 
Clinton, who was born in Illinois, February 
23, 1852, died at about die age of thirty- 
seven years. He had married Miss Mary 
Wakeman and they were the parents of seven 
children. His widow now resides in Otho 
township, Webster county. The second of 
the family died in infancy. Cora A., who 
was born in Iowa. November 16, 1857, is 
the wife of F. R. Payne, by whom she has 
three daughters and two sons, their home 
being now in Williams. Hamilton county. 
Carrie, born in Webster county, in Decem- 
ber, i860, is the wife of Charles A. Payne, 
a brother of her sister's husband. They 
reside in Berlin, Wisconsin, and have five 
sons .-111(1 two daughters. The wife of our 
subject passed away in March, 1886. at the 
age of fifty-seven years and her remains 
were interred in Otho cemetery. She was a 
member of the Congregational church and 
3 mosl estimable lady, whose influence was 
felt for good throughout the community. 
From early boyhood until his retirement 
from business life, Mr. Hart carried on ag- 
ricultural pursuits. When the family 
came to Iowa he secured a claim 
from the government in Webster county, 
and af»er\vard purchased land until he was 
the owner of four hundred acre-. Much 
of this, however, he has given to his chil- 
dren. He now owns one hundred and sixty 
acres south of * )tho and sixty-four acres on 
section jo. Otho township. For several 
years past he has been living in retirement 
anil now makes his home with his son-in- 
law Mr. Payne in Williams. He was a 
most progressive and enterprising agricul- 
turist and his efforts brought to him de 
served success, lie improved his farms with 
all modern equipments and his labors 
lir> night t<> him rich reward. In his political 



views he has always been a Republican and 
has long been a consistent and zealous mem- 
ber of the Congregational church. As one 
of the pioneers of Webster o mntv, he is hi sn- 
ored and respected by all who know him. 
lie came to this portion of the state a; an 
early period in its development and watched 
it- gradual transformation from a wild dis- 
trict into a densely populated region; its 
raw prairie land, as the result of cultivation 
and improvement became ' rich farming 
tracts. Towns and villages sprung up. 
churches and schools were built and many 
lines of business activity were introduced. 
In all of the work of advancement and 
pn gress Mr. Hart has taken a deep interest 
and just pride, and has ever faithfully per- 
formed his duties of citizenship, while in 
business he has sustained an unassailable 
reputatii n. 



WILLIAM WREDE. 

One of the representative citizens and 
successful farmers of Webster count)'. Iowa, 
is William Wrede. the owner of some two 
hundred and eighty acres of the richest si ll 
in this great state. His birth occurred Jan- 
uary 5, 1856, in Cook county. Illinois, his 
parents being Henry and Minnie 1 Tim 1 
Wrede. who were born, reared and married 
in Germany. In the autumn of 1855 the 
parents decided to emigrate to the United 
State- in order to better their condition, and 
embarked on a sailing vessel at Bremen, and 
after a passage of seven weeks, reached New 
York in safety. Work was plentiful for 
tin m willing to perform it. ami none were 
more willing than Henry Wrede. For live 
years the family were residents of the grow- 
ing city of Chicago, Illinois, and Mr. Wrede 
was one of th c faithful workers 0:1 the rail- 



658 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



which now extern 1 in every direction 
from that great center. 

The rich lands of the state of Iowa at- 
tracted the attention of Mr. W'rede, and in 
i860, with oxen and a prairie schooner, the 
family made the journey overland, and lo- 
cated in Webster county. In Dayton town- 
ship, he bought forty acres of raw prairie 
land and went to work with his character- 
istic energy and industry. His first desire 
was to provide a home and shelter for his 
family and later for the stuck which he 
soon accumulated, resulting in the erection 
of a small frame house and sheds, these hav- 
ing walnut siding on the outside, no plaster, 
but brick walls on the inside. The bricks 
were made by the family and sun-dried. 
This home was not as attractive as later 
ones, but it was warm and comfortable, and 
was the family home for twenty-two years. 
Then a removal was made to the residence 
now occupied by our subject. 

In 1882 the father moved to Colorado 
for the benefit of his son's health and re- 
sided there for eight years, returning then 
to Webster county. For the succeeding 
eight years the parents resided with our 
subject, but in 1890 the mother died, and 
since that time the father has resided in 
Ogden. Iowa, with his son Charles. Few 
men have been more successful in their 
farming operations than Mr. W'rede. In 
his earlier life be voted with the Democratic 
party, but cast his last vote for President 
McKinley. His religious connection has al- 
ways been with the German Lutheran 
church, where he is most highly esteemed. 

William Wrede, of this sketch, was the 
eldest in a family of three children, the 
others being: Charles, who married Anna 
Bergeman, and is engaged in the mercan- 
tile business at Ogden, Iowa: and Theodore, 
who married Cecelia Bergeman, who now 



resides at Ogden, Iowa, her husband dying 
at the age of twenty-five years. 

Until he was sixteen years of age our 
subject attended the Leonard school at Day- 
ton, Iowa, then leaving his books in order 
to assist his father in the management of 
the farm, and remaining with him until he 
reached his majority. On May II, 1875, 
he was united in marriage to Miss Caroline 
Haganow. who was a native of Germany, 
where she was born February 1, 1854, a 
daughter of Frederick and Minnie (Bachet) 
Haganow, both of whom were born, reared 
and married in Germany. They came to 
the United States in 1865 and settled in 
Cook county. Illinois, later moving to Fort 
Dodge. Iowa, where they now reside, Mr, 
Haganow being a stone mason by trade. 
Mrs. Wrede has one sister. — Frederika, who 
married Charles Mandelko. and resides in 
the Missouri valley, near Council Bluffs, 
Iowa. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Wrede a family of 
children were born, as follows: Alvira, who 
was born July 2. 1876. and is the wife of 
Fred Zeitz, residing on his farm near Chur- 
dan, Greene county. Iowa; Edward, born 
August 14, 1881 ; Henry, born February 24, 
1883; Samuel and Sarah, twins, born Au- 
bust 1, 1885; Matilda and Caroline, twins, 
born September 6, 1887; William M., born 
July 22, 1890; David T., born November 
17, 1892: Caroline E.. born July 7. 1894; 
and Therese Minnie, born May 24. 1896. 

Mr. Wrede has been one of the most 
successful farmers in his township. After 
his marriage he and wife remained for one 
year on the home farm and then went to 
Fort Dodge, where he spent one year at car- 
penter work, returning then to the farm 
where the family have resided ever since. 
Mr. Wrede owns two hundred acres on sec- 
tion 4 and eighty acres on section 3. Dayton 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



659 



township, and is one of the progressive and 
intelligent agriculturists of his section, be- 
lieving in scientific fanning and proving, by 
his success, that his ideas are sensible. His 
fields yield abundant harvests and his high- 
grade stuck find a ready market. 

In politics Mr. Wrede is a stanch Re- 
publican. His interest in educational mat- 
ters lias induced him to serve for a number 
of years as school director, and treasurer 
for twenty-one years. He is a member and 
has reared his family in the precepts of the 
German Lutheran church, and enjoys the 
confidence and esteem of the community in 
which he has spent bis life. 



GEORGE F. RHOADES. 

The fitting reward of a well spent 
lite is an honorable retirement in • which 
in enjoy the fruits of former toil, and 
this has been vouchsafed to George F. 
Rhoades. He is what the world calls 
a self-made man. With limited edu- 
cational privileges and no financial as- 
sistance he started out in life as a common 
laborer, but becoming imbued with a laud- 
able ambition to obtain something better, he 
made the most of his opportunities and 
through unremitting energy, diligence and 
perseverance, he commanded not only suc- 
cess, but also the respect and esteem of all 
with whom he has been brought in contact. 
He is now numbered among the representa- 
tive and progressive citizens of Webster 
City. 

George F. Rhoades was born in Pick- 
away county. Ohio, April 4, 1839, and is 
a son of Allen and Nancy (Flannigan) 
Rhoades, who were also natives of Ohio, 
where the father followed the occupation of 



farming. The father died in 1842 and the 
mother afterward became the wife of Absa- 
lom Julian, b) whom she had three children. 
Elias, William and Minnie. By her first 
marriage there were two sons and two 
daughters: Mary, the widow of D. Norton, 
of Champaign, Illinois; Hannah, the widow 
of Ellis Wellington, of Nebraska; John, 
who died when twelve years of age; and 
George F., of this review. The mother 
passed away in 1880 in Iroquois county, 
Illinois, where she had resided for a number 
of years and the stepfather of our subject 
died several years previously. 

When only four vears of ag"e George F. 
Rhoades went to live with an uncle, with 
whom he remained until he had attained to 
manhood. His uncle was a farmer and our 
subject worked in the fields during the sum- 
mer months, while in the winter seasons he 
pursued his education in the district schools. 
At the time of the Civil war his patriotic 
spirit was aroused, and in the fall of t86l 
he enlisted at Centerville, Ohio, as a mem- 
ber of Company I, Fifty-eighth Ohio Vol- 
unteer Infantry, under the command of 
Captain William Morris and Colonel Dies- 
ter. His regiment at different times was 
under the command of Generals Grant, 
Sherman and Wallace. He served three 
vears and two months as a private and was 
never wounded. He participated in the 
battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, the siege 
of Vicksburg, and the battle of Arkansas 
Post, and was also mi mortar boats at the 
siege of Vicksburg, having been detailed for 
that duty' In February, 1863. be was trans- 
ferred from the army to the navy, being 
thus engaged until the following August, 
when he again joined the land force. On 
the 14th of January, 1865, he was mustered 
out at Columbus. Ohio, paid off and honor- 
ably discharged. 



66o 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Not long afterward Mr. Rhoades moved 
to Illinois, settling in Piatt county, where 
he worked at farm labor and also engaged 
in driving cattle for a drover until 1867. 
In that year he was married and soon after- 
ward engaged in farming on his own ac- 
count, lie continued to reside in Piatt 
county until the fall of 1899, when he dis- 
posed of his business interests in Illinois and 
came to Webster City. Iowa, where he has 
a handsome residence and is now living re- 
tired. 

In 1867 Air. Rhoades was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Savanna Coberley, who was 
born near Columbus, Ohio, in 1840, a 
daughter of James and Hannah 1 Watkins i 
Coberley. Her father was a farmer by oc- 
cupation and with his family removed to 
Piatt county, Illinois, whence he afterward 
went to Rates county, Missouri, where both 
he and his wife spent their last days. Mrs. 
Rhoades has three brothers and two sis- 
ters who are yet living: Chandler is a 
resident (if Missouri; Rachel is the wife of 
William Switzer, of Adrian, Bates count}-. 
Missouri; and Victoria is the wife of 
Stephen Gillan, of llates county. The home 
of Mr. and Airs. Rhoades has been blessed 
with five children: Allen J., who married 
Nora Mulvane, and is living in Webster 
county: George P.. who married Eva Haw- 
thorne and makes his home near Flagstadt, 
Webster county; William 1)., who married 
Bird Edgar and is living at Storm Lake; 
Charles 1'... who married Ida B. Grant and 
makes his home at Webster City; and Dais) 
M., the wife of J I. S. Toney, of Webster 
City. 

Mr. Rhoades maintains pleasant rela- 
tions with his eld army comrades through 
his membership in the Grand Army of the 
Republic. I f i -. wife is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church. In his political 



views he is a Republican, but the honors 
and emoluments of office have had no attrac- 
tion for him, as he has ever preferred to give 
his time and attention to his business af- 
fairs, in which he has ewer met with grati- 
fying success, lie to-day owns a half sec- 
tion of land in Webster county and a half 
sectii <n near Storm Lake. He deserves great 
credit for what he has accomplished, for he 
had \cw advantages in youth and when he 
started upon an independent business career 
he worked as a common laborer. He was 
ambitious, determined and progressive, 
however, and these qualities in America al- 
ways win success. Gradually Mr. Rhoades 
has worked bis way upward and with the 
passing years has gained a handsome com- 
petence, which now ranks him with the sub- 
stantial citizens of Webster City. He has 
ever discharged his duties with marked 
ability and fairness, for he is a most loyal. 
public-spirited citizen. As a business man 
he has been conspicuous among his asso- 
ciates, not only for his success, but for his 
probity, fairness and honorable methods. In 
everything he has been eminently practical, 
and this has been manifest not only in his 
business undertakings, but also in social and 
private life. 



JOHN BLOOMBERG. 

A highly respected and well-known 
farmer of Webster county, who can show 
one of the finest farms and some of the best 
catle in the state, is John Bloomberg, who 
was born April 8. 1843, m Sweden, but the 
United States now claims hir. as one of her 
worthy citizen^. 

The parents of Air. Bloomberg. John 
Lawrence and Anna (Christman) Bloom- 
berg, were born also in Sweden and lived 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



661 



there until the death of the father, which 
left the mother alone, and live years later, in 
[870, she came to this countr) to make her 
home with her one remaining daughter, 
Minnie, wife of Charles Peterson, Mrs. 
Peterson died at Cambridge, Henry county, 
Illinois, and the mother then came to live 
with her only son, our subject, remaining 
with him until her death, in 1888. 

Until he was fifteen years old Mr. 
Bloomberg attended the schools in his native 
land, and then determined to emigrate t< 1 
America. He first went to Germany, where 
he found a sailing vessel bound for the 
United States and took passage. Although 
the trip consumed six weeks and three day-, 
the weather was pleasant, but cholera broke 
out on hoard and thirteen passengers died. 
Finally one spring morning the young 
Swedish lad stood on the shores of the new 
world. 

Fond of adventure and willing to work. 
and possessing also the knack of making 
friends. Mr. Bloomberg managed to reach 
Chicago in March, 1864. There he enlisted 
in the United States Navy and was sent to 
Cairo. Illinois, where he went aboard the 
gunboat "Oriol," which was soon afterward 
sent up the Mississippi river to Mound City 
and from there to Vicksburg, where it was 
used to guard the river, lying at Rodney, 
between Vicksburg and Memphis. Later 
the boat went to Memphis, from there to 
Natchez, and then to Cairo, and in the lat- 
ter city Mr. Bloomberg received his dis- 
charge in August. 

By this time he had seen a considerable 
amount of country and had become some- 
what accustomed to the new country's ways. 
He returned to Chicago, going from there 
to Galesburg, ami a week later to Andover, 
Henrv county, Illinois, where he secured 
work on a farm. At that place March _\ 



[882, lie was married to Lottie Nelson, 
who was born in Henry county, south 
of Andover, December 10, 1852-, and 
was a daughter of Sockreson and Lou- 
isa Nelson, both of whom were na- 
mes i,\ Sweden. They came to America 
some time in the '50s and settled in Henry 
county, Illinois, where the father died in ! )c- 
toher, 1872. the mother in February, 1S92, 
and both were buried in Andover. 

Might children were born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Nelson^ these being: Christina, de- 
ceased wife of Charles Bloom, of Galesburg. 
Illinois; Sophia, who is single and lives 
with her brother John, in Henry county; 
Carrie, deceased wife of David Loregrin, of 
Montgomery, Iowa; Lottie, wife of our sub- 
ject; Ida, who is the wife of David Carl- 
son, and lives at Baker, Boyd county, Ne- 
braska: Minnie, who died at the age of nine 
years: Matilda, who died in infancy; and 
John, who resides in Henry county, Illinois. 

For twenty years Mr. Bloomberg made 
Henrv county. Illinois, his home, but in 
1 88 1 he came to Webster county. Iowa, and 
bought one hundred and twenty acres of 
raw prairie land, paying two dollars and 
fifty cents per acre, and a tract of forty 
acres, for which he paid eight dollars an 
acre. This land Mr. Bloomberg broke and 
began the building of the shelters for his 
stock as soon as he had erected a comfort- 
able home. It seems wonderful that so 
sh( n"t a time has elapsed since he began his 
improvements there, so complete are all his 
farm equipments at the present. At that 
time Dayton had about one dozen houses 
and Harcourt consisted of a freight car and 
one house. Neighbors were far apart, but 
there was a feeling of kindness and good 
fellowship abroad at that time which was 
very pleasant, and every dour opened hos- 
pital ilv to the stranger guest. 



662 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Air. Bloomberg has one of the best farms 
in the county, located on section 30, I lay- 
ton township, and he is widely known as a 
successful raiser of some of the finest stock 
put upon the market. In all his operations 
he is ably assisted by his adopted son, Os- 
car Bloomberg, who was born June 6, 1880, 
and has received parental care from Mr. and 
Mrs. Bloomberg since his infancy. Both 
men are supporters of the Republican party 
and are members of the Swedish Methodist 
church. By close application and honest and 
industrious effort Mr. Bloomberg has be- 
come one of the substantial and highly re- 
spected men of his locality. 



ANDREW ANDERSON. 

Among the prosperous and successful 
citizens of Dayton township, Webster coun- 
ty, Iowa, Andrew Anderson occupies a 
leading position. He was born November 
24. 1X42, in Sweden, being a son of Andrew 
and Mary Anderson, both of whom were 
also natives of Sweden, where they lived and 
died. 

Our subject attended school in his na- 
tive land, and when he reached manhood 
served for two years in the army. Realiz- 
ing that much better opportunities were of- 
fered young men in America, in 1869 he 
sailed from Gottenberg. Unfortunately 
smallpox broke out on board the ship and 
the passengers were all held in quarantine 
at Newark for eleven days, but he finally 
reached New York city, from which point 
he made his way to Chicago, it taking near- 
ly five days to make the journey. From 
Chicago he journeyed to Dayton, Iowa, and 
obtained work upon the railroad, which was 
being constructed between Des Moines and 
Fort Dodge. 



After the railroad was completed, Mr. 
Anderson hired out to a farmer and for an 
entire year's work received only twenty-five 
dollars, although he labored hard and faith- 
fully. He then rented land in Dayton town- 
ship, and in 1870 he purchased forty acres 
of raw prairie land from the railroad com- 
pany. This land he broke and put in a 
state of cultivation. Later he purchased one 
hundred and twenty acres on section 31, 
Dayton township, which he still owns, it 
being one of the finest farms in Webster 
county, well supplied with outbuildings, a 
commodious barn and comfortable house. 
Mr. Anderson makes a specialty of raising 
high-grade stock for the market and his 
product always meets with a ready sale. 
During the years he has been engaged in 
his present calling he has proved that he 
thoroughly understands farming and his ad- 
vice is sought upon agricultural matters by 
his neighbors. 

On April 24, 1867. Mr. Anderson was 
married, in Sweden, to Mary Swanson, win 1 
was born there October 28, 1839, a daugh- 
ter of Swan J. and Anna (Carleson) Swan- 
son, both of whom were born, lived and 
died in Sweden. Mrs. Swanson died when 
Airs. Anderson was only twelve months old, 
and Mr. Swanson married Eva Carleson, 
his sister-in-law, who was also a native of 
Sweden. By his first marriage he had two 
children, namely: Mrs. Anderson; and 
John, deceased, who married Christina 
Blomquist, and came to America, his widow 
being now a resident of Lost Grove town- 
ship, Webster county, Iowa, having married 
Charles Blomquist. There were seven sons 
and three daughters born of the second mar- 
riage of Mr. Swanson. six of whom are de- 
ceased. The remaining children reside in 
Sweden, where they married and are all 
happy and prosperous. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



663 



To Mr. and Mrs. Anderson lour chil- 
dren were born; namely: Oscar, who was 
born in Sweden, September 22, 1868, mar- 
ried Hannah Johnson and resides on a farm 
in Lost Grove township, this county. They 
have four children. — Eva, Marian, Walter 
and Collins. John, horn September 10, 
1877, is single and assists his father on the 
farm. Charles, born August 10, 1879, lives 
with his father. Hilda May, born June 24, 
1 NX 1 . is also at home. 

In politics Mr. Anderson is a Republican 
and he has served most acceptably as school 
director and road commissioner, giving en- 
tire satisfaction to his constituents as well 
as the township at large. In religious mat- 
ters, he attends the Swedish Evangelical 
Lutheran church of Harcourt, Iowa, to 
which he is a liberal contributor. Having 
gained his present position of prosperity 
through his own unaided efforts, Mr. An- 
derson may well be proud of his success, 
and also< of the fact that while he was thus 
laboring to add to his possessions, he yet had 
time to make and retain many friends, all 
of whom respect and esteem him in the high- 
est degree. 



G. A. FREED. 



From a substantial Swedish ancestry 
Mr. Freed inherits habits of thrift and econ- 
omy, which have been of inestimable value 
to him as one of the large land owners and 
practical farmers of Burnside township. He 
was born in Sweden. December 5, 1858, and 
was educated in the public schools and 
reared to lie a model farmer. His parents, 
Andrew F. and Mary (Peterson) Freed, 
came to America in 1864, when their son, 
G. A., was but six years of age, and he 
therefore has but faint recollection of the 



conditions among which he was born and 
spent his earliest childhood. The parents 
settled in Henry county, Illinois, where they 
lived for a year, going later to Altoona, 
Knox county, that state, where the father 
worked out at farm labor for a year. They 
then went to Rock Island county, Illinois, 
where he purchased forty acres of land, and 
three years later sold that land and came to 
Iowa in 1868. Here they bought eighty 
acres three miles south of Dayton. Webster 
county, but later removed to Boone county, 
and still later to Fort Dodge, where they 
died within a short time of each other and 
were buried on the same daw 

For about seven years G. A. Freed as- 
sisted his father with the work about the 
home farm. On December 4, 1881, he mar- 
ried Sophia Anderson, who was born in 
Sweden and came to America with her par- 
ents, settling in Knox county, Illinois, and 
later removing to Iowa. Mrs. Freed has 
one brother, (Gust, who is unmarried, and 
has followed the fickle fortunes of the sea 
for eleven years, being now on his way to 
South Africa; and one sister. Christine, who 
is the wife of Christ Christenson, and lives 
at Atlantic, Iowa. She has also three step- 
brothers and one step-sister; August Sea- 
gren. who has two children and lives in 
Curlew. Iowa: .Albert, who is also a resi- 
dent of Curlew. Iowa; Fred, who lives in 
the same town; and Anna, who is working 
out. The boys are tradesmen, carpenters 
and blacksmiths. Three children have been 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Freed: Martin, born 
July 23. 1X82; Florence, March 6, 1884; 
and Myrtle, January 15, 1896. 

Desiring to be thoroughly independent, 
Mr. Freed left the home farm after his mar- 
riage, and for a year rented a farm two 
miles south of Dayton, and afterwards lived 
on another farm, also rented, for two years. 



66,± 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



He then bought a farm in Clay township, 
upon which he lived for seven years, and 
after disposing- of that land bought the two 
hundred and forty acres in one body which 
constitutes his present home. He has 
utilized in a most satisfactory manner his 
opp rtunities since coming to his present lo- 
cation, and has a property under a high state 
of cultivation, and well equipped with com- 
fortable residence, convenient and modern 
barns, as well as all manner of late devices 
for "simplifying farm labor. He raises a 
large amount of grain and engages in gen- 
eral farming, and also feeds and ships stock. 
He is a progressive and wide-awake member 
of a thrifty agricultural community, and is 
in favor of all measures for elevating the 
general standing of the township. 



ALLEX J. RHOADES. 

In an early day in the history of Amer- 
ica the Rhoades family emigrated from 
Germany and settled in Pennsylvania, 
whence later generations removed to Ohio. 
George F. Rhoades. who was born and 
reared in Pickaway county, the latter state, 
removed to Piatt county. Illinois, in 1865, 
and secured employment with Mr. Piatt, in 
whose honor the county was named. His 
earnings were carefully and frugally saved 
and funned the nucleus of his subsequent 
possessions. His first purchases were 
small, but as time passed by he ac- 
quired increasing possessions and finally 
his landed estate aggregated three hun- 
dred and eighty acres. In the fall 
of 1899 he disposed of his landed in- 
terests in Illinois and came to Iowa, set- 
tling in Webster City. Hamilton county. 
Four years before he had purchased three 
hundred and twenty acres in Webster 



count)-. Iowa, and later acquired the owner- 
ship of four hundred acres at Storm Lake. 
Iowa. These various holdings and his real 
estate in Webster City represent the accumu- 
lations of his active years, and prove him 
to be man of wise judgment in the 
making of investments and superintending 
of properties. His property in Webster 
county lies on sections 13 and 24. Washing- 
ton township, and is managed by his son, 
Allen J. Rhoades. who makes his home upon 
the place. 

During the Civil war George F. Rhoades 
enlisted in Company I. Fifty-eighth Ohio 
Infantry, and served for three years and 
three months, receiving an honorable dis- 
charge at the expiration of bis term of serv- 
ice, and not long before the close of the war. 
Since the organization of the Grand Army 
of the Republic he has been identified with 
it. Politically he is a stanch Republican and 
on that ticket, during his residence in Piatt 
county, Illinois, he was elected to all of the 
offices of his township. As county super- 
visor he was instrumental in promoting en- 
terprises for the benefit of the people. His 
circle of acquaintances was large in Piatt 
ci nint}-, and everywhere he was honored and 
respected. On his removal from there ex- 
pressions of regret were heard on every 
hand, for it was realized that one of the 
most active pioneers and public-spirited citi- 
zens would lie lost to the county by his de- 
parture. Indicative of the regard in which 
he was held is the fact that a handsome 
medal was presented to him by Franklin 
Post, G. A. R., at Monticello, with which 
he had long been connected. 

In the family of George F. Rhoades and 
wife there are five children, of whom Allen 
J. is the oldest. The second son, George 
Edward, married Eva Hawthorne, of Mon- 
ticello, Illinois, and has one daughter, Helen. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



665 



They make their home in Washington town- 
ship. Webster county, where he cultivates a 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres on 
section 13. The third sun. William D., 
married Bird Edgar and has two children, 
George and Edith. They make their home 
at Sturm Lake. Iowa. The youngest son, 
Charles B.. married Ida Belle Grant, and 
resides in Webster City, Iowa, where he 
was clerk in the Wilson Hotel, but is now 
a traveling salesman. The only daughter. 
Daisy May. is the wife of Harry Toney, of 
Webster City. Mure extended mention is 
made of the father 1 in another page of this 
volume. 

Allen J. Rhoades was born in Piatt 
county, Illinois, January 17. 1870, and re- 
ceived his education principally in the 
schools of Dublin, that state. On starting 
out for himself he secured employment in 
running a traction engine and also ran an 
engine for a dredge-boat. His next venture 
was the putting up of windmills and con- 
tracting for wells. In 1893 ne came to Iowa 
and nn the "28th of December, of the same 
year, at Emmetsburg. Palo Alto county, he 
was united in marriage with Xora Mull- 
vain, whn was born in McLean county, 111., 
December 1. 1875. Her parents, Francis 
.Augustus and Anna ( Rankin ) Mullvain. 
were natives of Illinois, and married in Piatt 
county, that state, where they remained 
some years, thence moving to McLean coun- 
ty. In i8<)2 they settled at Emmetsburg, 
Iowa, but two years later returned to Illi- 
nois, locating at Osman, McLean county. 
In the spring of iqoi they again came to 
Iowa and now reside near Webster City. 
Politically Mr. Mullvain was reared in the 
Democratic faith and believes in the major- 
it} of the principles adopted by that party, 
but inclines toward prohibition. In religion 
he is a believer in the doctrines of the Meth- 



odist Episcopal church. Of his children the 
eldest is the wife of Allen J. Rhoades, and 
the others are si ins. namely: Lee. a farmer 
at Osman, Illinois; Harvey, who resides in 
Decatur. Illinois; Earl and Vern, of Web- 
ster City. 

After his marriage Mr. Rhoades re- 
turned to Illinois and engaged in the tubu- 
lar-well business in Piatt county, remain- 
ing there until his return to Iowa in 1896. 
Since then he has had the supervision of his 
father's farm of one hundred and sixty 
acres on section _>4. Washington township. 
Webster county. low a. He is proving him- 
self to be a scientific and up-to-date farmer, 
and maintains a high class of improvements 
upon his place. At this writing he makes a 
specialty of Polled Angus cattle and Poland 
China hogs, with both of which he is suc- 
cessful. To facilitate the work of the farm 
he has convenient cattle sheds, substantial 
barns and granaries, while he and his wife 
occupy a modern and commodious residence. 
In addition to managing the farm, he has 
during recent years also had charge of drill- 
ing the wells for the water works at Be- 
ment, Illinois, and the city wells at Sulli- 
van, that state. Like his father, he believes 
firmly in the wisdom of Republican prin- 
ciples, and advocates protection of home in- 
dustries, the continuance of the gold stand- 
ard, and the policy of expansion. Among 
the local offices held by him are those of 
road supervisor and school director, both of 
which he has filled with judgment and dis- 
crete m. 



JOHX GABRIELSOX. 

Among the highly respected citizens of 
Dayton. Webster county, Iowa, is John 
Gabrielson, a worthy representative of a 



666 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



country to which the United States has 
learned to look for men of brawn and brain, 
steady and industrious, who finally become 
the best of American citizens. 

The birth of Mr. Gabrielson occurred in 
Sweden, November 16, 1826, his parents 
being- Gabriel and Martha Catherine (Nel- 
son) Johnson, both of whom lived out their 
days in their native country. They had but 
two sons, our subject and his brother, An- 
drew Augustus. The latter came tO' Amer- 
ica with John, in 1857, and married Mary 
Swanson, also a native of Sweden, who 
died in December, 1900, in Colorado. He 
now lives in Andover, Illinois. 

Mr. Gabrielson of this sketch came to 
this country with his family when he was 
about thirty years of age. On June 25, 
1853, in Sweden, he was married to* Flor- 
ence Peterson, a daughter of Peter and Eliza 
(Samuelson) Johnson, both of whom died 
in Sweden, having had a family of ten chil- 
dren, all of whom came to America with the 
exception of three. 

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Gabrielson were: Axel, born in Sweden, 
married Clara Nelson and lives in Dayton ; 
Charles G. burn at Galesburg, Illinois, in 
1857, died unmarried, in August, 1900; 
Frank A. married Ida Jansen, and conducts 
a hardware business at Sioux Rapids. Iowa; 
George A. married Anna Bork and lives in 
Dayton, where he has a hardware business; 
Eddie married Kate Intermill and is now 
a retired farmer in Dayton; Victor married 
Hannah Sackerson and is engaged in the 
hardware business with his brother in Day- 
ton; Hattie C, a teacher in the public 
schools in Webster county, died at the age 
of twenty-seven years ; and Mary married 
Hans Shold, a blacksmith in Dayton. 

Mr. Gabrielson recalls his trip to Amer- 
ica as one of his pleasantest experiences, 



both on account of the pleasant weather en- 
countered and also because of the kind and 
careful attention bestowed upon his two 
hundred passengers by good Captain Ny- 
gard. As a testimonial of their personal 
regard, the passengers presented him with a 
thirty-dollar clock. Landing in Boston, 
Massachusetts, Mr. Gabrielson went direct 
to Chicago, and from there to Galesburg, 
Illinois, where many of his countrymen are 
located. In the spring of 1858 he came to 
Dayton Iowa, living there until his enlist- 
ment for service in the Union army dur- 
ing the Civil war. He became a member 
of Company C, Second Iowa Infantry, un- 
der General John A. Logan, joining- the 
army at Rome, Georgia, and marching with 
Sherman from Atlanta to Savannah. He 
was at Raleigh, North Carolina, at the time 
of the surrender of Johnston to Sherman, 
and then accompanied his regiment to 
Washington, D. C. He was discharged in 
May, 1865, and was mustered out of the 
service at Clinton, Iowa. 

Upon his return to Webster count)- Mr. 
Gabrielson bought one hundred and sixty 
acres of land near Dayton and lived there 
from the fall of 1865 to 1888. improving 
the property all the time. He also bought 
eighty acres on section 7, Dayton township, 
and this he gave to his son. He owned 
five acres of very valuable timber land, but 
he has disposed of that, and now resides 
in a very comfortable and substantial home 
in Dayton. 

Few foreign-born citizens have taken a 
deeper interest in the public affairs of their 
adopted country than has Mr. Gabrielson, 
from the time he offered his life in her de- 
fense until the present, having most faith- 
fully served in almost all of the local offices 
of trust and responsibility within the gift 
of his fellow citizens. He has been road 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



667 



commssioner for several years, township 
trustee, for six years was a member of the 
board of supervisors and for eight years 
was township assessor, performing the du- 
ties of all of these positions with an eye sin- 
gle to the benefit of the community. 

Mr. GabrieJson is a stanch Republican, 
casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, 
during his term of service, while in Rome. 
Georgia. He is one of the valued members 
of the Grand Army Post and from 1870 
to [900 was trustee of the Swedish Meth- 
odist church. No citizen stands higher in 
public esteem in Webster county than John 
Gabrielson. 



D. D. DANIELS. 



Although one of the younger farmers 
in Washington township, Mr. Daniels has 
prospered to a gratifying extent, and his 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres on 
section 8, bears many evidences of his skill 
and good management. A native son of the 
county, he was born September 23, 1869. 
a sun of David M. and Sarah (Clark) 
Daniels, who are mentioned at length in 
another part of this book. While still very 
young Mr. Daniels evinced habits of indus- 
try and thrift, indications fostered by the 
capable training of his father, who was one 
mi tlie substantial tanners of the county. 
His education was acquired at the public 
schools, which he attended during the leisure 
of the winter months, the summer time be- 
ing devoted to the multiplicity of duties 
upon the home farm. 

On October 25, 1892. he married Mary 
E. Isham, who was born in Washington 
township, February 28. [872, a daughter of 
Eugene and Alpha C. ( Dryden ) Isham. 
natives of Dane county, Wisconsin. She is 



descended from English ancestors who set 
tied in New York and constituted what is 
known as the old Knickerbocker stuck-, and 
on the paternal side she claims kinship 
through her grandmother with Colonel 
Clough, who followed the martial fortunes 
of Washington during the Revolutionary 
war. Her parents were reared and mar- 
ried in Wisconsin, and in 1872 removed to 
Webster county, Iowa, where the father 
bought one hundred and sixty acres of land 
in Washington township, and where the 
mother also owned a similiar amount of 
land. They lived here until the spring of 
1894, when they disposed of their Webster 
county land, and bought two hundred and 
fortv acres in Cass township. Hamilton 
county, upon which they at present reside. 
The father is a Republican, and is a mem- 
ber of the Baptist church. Nine children 
were born into this family, of whom Mrs. 
Daniels is the oldest; Anna E.. the wife of 
Frank E. Creed, lives in Washington town- 
ship and has two children: Ada C, the wife 
of J. C. Carpenter, lives in Wright county. 
Iowa, and has one child; Bessie H. lives 
with her parents: Cassius I. died July 31, 
1898, at the age of thirteen: Harry D. died 
March 31. 1887, at the age of seven months: 
Ray D. lives with his parents: and Mason 
C. and Robert E. are also at home. To Mr, 
and Mrs. Daniels have been born four chil- 
dren : Eva }'... born November 10. r S94 : 
Eugene W., January 21, 1897: Marian, 
December 1 1. [899; rind David D., May 2j. 
1 901. 

For a vear after his marriage Mr. Dan- 
iels fanned on the homestead, and then re- 
ed to another part of the same farm, 
where he lived a year. He then came to his 
present farm in Washington township, out 
.if which he developed a fine property, fitted 
with every modern improvement, including 



668 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



commodious house, barns, granaries, good 
fences and the latest agricultural imple- 
ments. He also owns some timber land in 
Webster township. 



CARE SCHRADER. 



The ability of the German to transfer 
his allegiance and thrift to American shores 
ami to become an integral part of the pros- 
perity of his adopted location is illustrated 
in the career of Carl Schrader. one of the 
large land-owners of Dayton township, and 
a man who has depended solely upon his 
own efforts for the place which he occupies 
to-day. The first thirty years of his life 
were spent in Germany, where he was born 
April 20. 1845. an d where he was reared on 
a farm and educated in the public schools. 
His father died in 1858, but his mother lived 
tn accompany her son to the United States, 
where she died near Watertown, Wisconsin. 
in 1884. Carl was the second oldest child 
in the family, and the other children were : 
Johanna, who died near Watertown two 
months before the mother; William, who is 
married and lives near Charles City, Iowa; 
and August, who came to America in 1870 
but died shortly after landing. 

While still in Germany Mr. Schrader 
married, in 1868. with Eliza Drager, who 
died the following year, leaving one child 
who is now living. In June, 1870. Mr. 
Schrader married Soplhia Drager, whose 
parents are both dead, the mother having 
died in 1880 while living with her daugh- 
ter and son-in-law. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Schrader have been born seven children, 
namely : Herman, a farmer in South Da- 
kota, who married Elza Meyer; Frank, also 
a farmer of South Dakota, who married 



Emma Williams; William, living with the 
rest of- the family in South Dakota; Anna; 
Julian; Paul; and Elza. The last four 
named are living at home. 

Shortly after his second marriage, in 
1870. Mr. Schrader embarked with his wife 
and mother from European shores, and in 
due time sailed into Xew York harbor, the 
journey taking a month. He went direct 
to Wisconsin and lived on a farm for about 
four years, working for another man. He 
arrived in Webster county, Iowa, in [874, 
and. with the money saved from his toil 
bought eighty acres of the land upon which 
he now lives. Prosperity has rewarded his 
efforts, and with the coming of many suc- 
cessful harvests his fortunes were increased 
sufficiently to permit and even necessitate 
the purchase of additional land, so that he 
now owns a quarter section of fine farm land 
on section 6, of Dayton ti wnship. His 
property is well stocked, and whether in 
stock-raising or general farming. Mr. 
Schrader endeavors to keep abreast of the 
times and to introduce such methods and 
improvements as to place him in the front 
ranks of progressive tillers of the soil ami 
cattle breeders. He is a Republican in poli- 
tics, but always votes for the best man. and 
has never desired public office. He is a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church. 



TOHX CRAM. 



For thirty-one years Mr. Cram has been 
an active promoter of the best interests of 
Burnside township, and during - all this 
period has lived continuously upon his pres- 
ent farm on section 10. In his youth he 
was reared to an appreciation of a life of 
agriculture, and in Onondaga county. Xew 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



669 



York, where he was born July 9, [836, was 
early taught to be of assistance in the per- 
formance of those duties incident to profit 
able farming-. His father. Jehiel Cram, 
was burn about 183] in Burlington, Ver- 
mont, and was of English lineage, although 
his father* Ebenezer Cram, was also a na- 
tive of the Green Mountain state. The lat- 
ter had a family of seven suns. Jacib, Orin, 
Lorin. Alhanan. Jehiel. Heman and George, 
all born in Vermont. The father of our sub- 
ject was a tanner and manufacturer of 
leather and also engaged in the manufacture 
of shoes for a number of years. He mar- 
ried Susan Chase, who was likewise born in 
Vermont and whose ancestors came to 
America as Pilgrims on the Mayflower. In 
i860 the parents became residents of Illinois, 
removing thence to Mahaska comity. Iowa, 
in 1868. There the mother died about 1874, 
while the father died at the home of his son 
in Thayer. Kansas, in 1883. They were the 
parents of five sons and 1 me daughter : Dan- 
iel, who died in Onondaga county, Xew 
York; David, who died in Carroll county, 
Illinois, and left three children: Henry, who 
died in Thayer, Kansas, leaving a wife and 
one child : Heman. who married Frances 
Shook and resides at Thornburg, Keokuk 
county, Iowa; and Mary P.. the wife of 
William Smith, of Kansas. Two of the 
sons, David and Henry, served in the Civil 
war. 

John Cram, of this review, was edu- 
cated in the common schools, and as an aid 
to future independence learned the carpen- 
ter's trade, which he followed up to the time 
of his marriage, which important event in 
his life occurred December 27. 1859, the 
lady of his choice being Harriett \Y. Cush- 
man. She was horn at Buffalo Grove. Ogle 
comity, Illinois, January 14. 1839; her fa- 
ther was a native of Georgia, Vermont, 



while her mother was horn April 18, 1X17. 
in Delaware county, Xew York. In [836 
the former removed to Buffalo Grove, Illi- 
nois, and two years later, with a colony of 
seventy people, the lady whom he made his 
wife also located there. The ancestry of 
the Cushman family can be traced back in 
direct line through eight generations. Rob- 
ert Cushman, the first of whom we have 
authentic record, was born in England in 
1580, and with the Pilgrim fathers came to 
America, where he filled the office of 
colonial agent. He died in England, 
whither he had gone on a trip in the interest 
of the settlers. Thomas Cushman. the rep- 
resentative in the second generation, was 
born in England, February 3, 1608, and 
wedded Mary Allerton. He came to Amer- 
ica in the historic craft, the Mayflower, and 
died Decemher 11. 1O91. Elkanah Cush- 
man, of the third generation, was horn June 
1, 1651, married Elizabeth Cole, and died 
in Plymouth, Massachusetts. September 4. 
1727. John Cushman, of the fourth gen- 
eration, was born August 13. 1690, and 
married Johanna Pratt. Their son, Charles 
Cushman, was born at Plymouth. Massa- 
chusetts, September 3. 1735. wedded Mary 
Hardey. and died in Rutland, Vermont, in 
1 791. Frederick Cushman. of the sixth gen- 
eration, was horn in Norwich, Connecticut, 
in 1758, married Alice Coswell, and died 
October 22, 1852. They were the great- 
grandparents of Mrs. Cram. Solomon 
Cushman, the grandfather, was horn in Bur- 
lington, Vermont, in 1785. and married 
Phila Strong. Their son. Charles Cush- 
man. the father of Mrs. Cram, was horn in 
Vermont, October 24. 1X11. and wedded 
Mary B. Waterbury, who was horn April 
[8, 1X17. at Andes. Delaware county. Xew 
York. She was descended from English an 
cestry, who were Pilgrims and also came to 



670 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



America on the Mayflower. The family is a 
prominent and honored one of New Eng- 
land and has been represented in the two 
wars with England. Eventually representa- 
tives of the name removed to New York and 
thence to Illinois with a colony of seventy, 
settling in Ogle county, where Mrs. Cush- 
nian. the mother of Mrs. Cram, is still liv- 
ing at an advanced age. 

In her family were four children. Ed- 
win S. Cnshman. the brother of Mrs. Cram, 
was born in August, 1841, and is now a resi- 
dent of Nampa, Idaho, where he is engaged 
in fruit growing and the real-estate busi- 
ness. At the time of the Civil war he en- 
listed in Polo, as a member of Company E, 
Ninety-second Illinois Infantry, and served 
fur three years. John W. Cushman, the 
second brother of Mrs. Cram, was born at 
Buffalo Grove, Illinois, August 14, 1844. 
and enlisted in Company D, Ninety-second 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and when three 
years had passed re-enlisted as a veteran. 
He was with Sherman on the celebrated, 
march to the sea. He wedded Mary Lewis 
and for a number of years engaged in the 
jewelry business in Polo, Illinois, where he 
died in 1888. Phila Cushman, born Oc- 
tober 1, i860, now makes her home with her 
mother in Polo. 

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Cram has 
been blessed with three children: Anna. 
born September _>_>, 1861, is the wife of Ed- 
win Heal and with their two children they 
reside on section 10, Burnside township. 
Mary F., born December 9, 1866, is the wife 
i l W. T. Marsh, by whom she has two chil- 
dren, and their home is on section 3, Burn- 
side township; and Inez M., who was born 
March 9, 1871, is the wife of Colly C. 
Bowers, a farmer residing on section 33, 
Otho township, by whom she has four chil- 
dren : John, Floyd, Harriett and Iva. 



Soon after his marriage Mr. Cram lo- 
cated on a farm in Ogle county, Illinois, 
where he remained for five years, and in 
1866 .removed to Keokuk, Iowa. In Jan- 
nary, 1870, he took up his abode in Web- 
ster county, Iowa, and settled on his present 
farm of one hundred and -twenty acres. 
The land was then but partially improved, 
but soon the labors of Mr. Cram were effect- 
ing a change in the appearance of the place. 
The fields were placed under cultivation and 
the green tints of summer gave promise of 
golden harvests in the autumn. Barns and 
other necessary buildings were erected and 
Anna, the eldest daughter, planted many of 
the fine trees which adorn the place. In ad- 
dition to general farming Mr. Cram has en- 
gaged in the breeding of Ohio imported 
Chester white hogs and he also raises and 
ships other stock, thereby annually increas- 
ing his income. 

Mr. Cram has always taken an active 
and intelligent interest in local politics and 
for twelve years has been an efficient mem- 
ber of the school board. Fraternally he is 
identified with Lehigh Lodge, No. 27, I. O. 
O. F. He is a member of the Christian 
church in Lehigh and to the extent of his 
ability contributes toward its charities and 
general maintenance. His judgment and ad- 
vice are of great value in connection with 
all important township enterprises and he is 
accounted one of the leading and influential 
residents of the community. 



GEORGE C. LEMON. 

George C. Lemon, one of the successful 
and enterprising farmers of Washington 
township, was born in Zanesville, Ohio, 
May 5, 1843. an d is a son of Joseph and 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



671 



Jane (Carter) Lemon, the latter of win mi 
was born in Ohio and died Februan 28, 
1871, while the former still lives in Ohio 
and is eighty-two years of age. Of the eight 
children born to the parents two sons and 
one daughter survive and are residents of 
Zanesville, and of these. Frank married 
Lucy Arter; Serena is the wife of Will 
Pherson; and Elmer married Laura Carter. 

While assisting with the work on his 
father's farm George C. Lemon attended 
the district schools as opportunity offered, 
and afterward worked out by the month 
until twenty-one years of age. On March 
25, [866, he married Martha Ferguson, who 
was born in Livermore, Pennsylvania, No- 
vember 19, 1845, a daughter of J. G. and 
Maria ( Watson) Ferguson. The father 
was a shoemaker and farmer. Of his eight 
children but four are living: Watson, a 
tanner of Missouri, married Lizzie Waters, 
ami after her death married Anna Thomp- 
son; Samuel, living at Homer, Iowa, mar- 
ried Mollie Stotts ; and Cinda, a resident of 
Zanesville, is the wife of Will Temple. Of 
the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Lemon, 
five died in infancy, and May died at the age 
of eighteen, the surviving children being 
George A., Frank and Morton. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Lemon set- 
tled in Muskingum county, Ohio, which 
continued to be his home for thirteen years, 
ami where he was engaged in general farm- 
ing, gardening and coal mining with the 
success to be expected from one of his en- 
ergy and practical common sense. At the 
expiration of his stay in Ohio he settled 
upon a farm of one hundred and sixty acres 
in Washington township. Webster county. 
Iowa, and this farm has profited by his in- 
dustry and good management and is one of 
the most desirable farms in the township. 
\dded to a comfortable and commodious 



farm resilience there are good barns and out- 
houses, and the implements include all of the 
known aids to expeditious labor-,, not the 
least valuable of which is an up-to-date 
threshing outfit. Mr. Lemon is known for 
his public spiritedness, for his business sa- 
gacity and his unquestioned integrity. 



DANIEL A. PETERSON. 

For nearly half a century Daniel A. 
Peterson has been identified with the agri- 
cultural and political advancement of Day- 
ton township, where he owns one hundred 
and seventy acres of finely improved land, 
redeemed from a wild state by years of 
arduous toil. One of the most progressive 
of the Swedish-Americans in Webster 
county, he was born in Sweden, December 
22, 1840, a son of Andrew and Maria Peter- 
son, who emigrated to America in 1849. an ^ 
located in Madrid, Boone count)-, Iowa. In 
1852 they removed to Dayton township, 
Webster county, where both eventually died, 
the father December 19. 1885, and the 
mother in September, 1893. They were the 
parents of four sons and four daughters : 
John, who married Charlotte Hanson and 
resides in Oregon; Matilda, the wife of E. 
S. Atkinson, of Stratford, Iowa; Lars A., 
who married Augusta Carlson and is a 
farmer living on section 34, Dayton town- 
ship. this county: Augusta W.. who mar- 
ried Charles Asp and died in Mississippi in 
1880; Emma, who died at sea at the age of 
six years while the family were coming to 
America : Melker. who died in Dayton town- 
ship at the age of four years : and Jennie, 
wife of A. A. Olson, of Ogden, Iowa. 

Before coming to America with his par- 
ent* Mr. Peterson attended the country 



672 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



schools of Sweden for two summers, and 
afterward studied at Madrid. Iowa, and 
later still in a little schoolhouse one-half 
mile from his present home. He remained 
on the parental farm until his marriage, 
January 20, 1861, with Sophia Hanson, who 
was born in Sweden, December 17, 1X4(1, 
and came to America with her father in 
1853, ' ier mother having died in the old 
country. They settled first in Hardin town- 
ship, Webster county, and then in Boone 
county, where the father died in i860. He 
had hut one son, John A., who was a valiant 
soldier during the Civil war, and died in a 
hospital in Mound City. Illinois, from dis- 
ease contracted in the service. Of the chil- 
dren born to .Mr. and Airs. Peterson, Manda, 
Bertha, Willie and Linda died in infancy, 
and the children still living are: Edward, a 
cashier in the State Bank at Stratford ; 
Nellie, the wife of Elmer Shostrom, who 
lives in Dayton and has three children, 
Ethel, Russel and a babe unnamed; May, 
the wife of August Olson, who lives in 
Bi one county and has three children. Ver- 
ner, Floyd and Gay; Maude, a student, who 
is living at In me ; and Ruben, also attending 
school and living at home. 

After his marriage Air. Peterson lived 
with his father for two or three years, after 
which he purchased the land upon which he 
now lives. He is the oldest living settler in 
the township, having been here continuously 
since 1852. When he first arrived here 
there were but four others in the township, 
but these have long since passed away, and 
he alone recalls the hardships and depriva- 
tions which beset those who ventured to till 
the primitive si il. 

The particular fitness of .Mr. Peterson for 
official office has been recognized by his 
fellow townsmen on many occasions, and as 
a loyal Deiw crat lie served for one term as 



county recorder, ami is at present township 
assessor. Though still retaining all of his 
land he rents out considerable of it, but lives 
nevertheless in the old homestead which has 
weathered the storms of succeeding sum- 
mers and winters. In the estimation of all 
who have profited by his industry or en- 
joyed his friendship he is held in high 
esteem, and is one of the most venerable and 
kindly gentlemen in his neighborhood. 



JOEL ELLIS DANIELS. 

A native of the county which has since 
been his home, and toward the improve- 
ment of which he has so earnestly worked. 
Joel Ellis Daniels was born January 28, 
1 <S 5 5 , a son of David M. and Sarah W. Dan- 
iels. He was educated in the public schools 
and under his father's able instruction 
learned to lie a model farmer and good busi- 
ness man. 

On February 22, 1876, Mr. Daniels mar- 
ried Flizabeth Blanchard, who was born in 
Des Moines county. Iowa. November 19, 
[856, a daughter of Benjamin F. and 
Susanna (Cronk-) Blanchard. natives of In- 
diana. The parents were married in De^ 
Moines county and lived on a farm there 
for about fifteen years, and came to Webster 
county in 1864. They then bought land in 
Dayton township, upon which they lived for 
three years, removing then to Washington 
township, where they lived until 1899. 
Their property was then disposed of at a 
profit and they took up their residence in 
Webster City, where they are living in com- 
parative retirement at the present time. 
They are the parents of the following chil- 
dren: Preston, who died at the age of 
twenty-six : Mary, who is the wife of W. H. 
Widick and lives -near Burnside; Mrs. Joel 
Ellis Daniel-; Louisa, wdio is the widow of 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



673 



W. A. Powell and lives in Webster City; 

Henry, who married Cora Baldridge and 
lives near Lehigh; Emma, who died in in- 
fancy; Carrie, who died at the age of eleven 
years ; Beecher, who married Martha Blair 
and lives at Fort Dodge; and Emmett, who 
died at the age of six years. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Daniels have been horn three children: 
Robert P., born February 23, 1877, was 
married in 1900 to Mamie Clawson and lives 
in Washington township; Grace, born Oc- 
tober to, [879, married Emery Moore, Feb- 
ruary if', 181)7, and has one child, Leslie; 
and David M. is living at home. 

Following his marriage Mr. Daniels 
lived where the town of Brushy now stands, 
but at that time the railroad was not built 
through. He has farmed continuously ever 
since, and after the building of the railroad 
also engaged in buying and shipping grain 
and general produce for a couple of years, 
but lost heavily in the venture. However, 
he has the faculty of rising above adverse 
circumstances, and no loss has ever de- 
stroyed his innate enthusiasm or belief in a 
brighter future. He now owns over eight}' 
acres of good farm land, devoted to general 
farming and stock-raising, and besides he 
feeds and ships considerable stock. He is a 
member of the Methodist church, and con- 
tributes to the best of his ability towards it- 
maintenance. Fraternally he is associated 
with the Modern Woodmen of America. 
Duncombe Camp No. 3370. Alhough a 
stanch Republican, and an office holder in 
the past, he at present neither desires nor 
seeks public office, preferring to devote all 
of his time to the management of his farm 
and the care of his interesting family. Mr. 
Daniels has many friends in the county in 
which he has always lived and his progress- 
iveness and integrity are known far and 
wide. 



AUGUST JOHNSON. 

Sweden has sent many of her most de- 
serving sons to profit by the large oppor- 
tunities of America and to lend the strength 
of their desirable national characteristic- to 
the development of the less worn resources 
of their adopted country. One whose en- 
terprise and thrift has resulted in his owner- 
ship of nine hundred and forty acres of land 
in Webster county, Iowa, is August John- 
son, who was born in Sweden, October 7, 
1850, a son of parents who spent their en- 
tire lives in that country, the death of the 
father occurring in 1857, while the mother 
survived him until 1891. In the family be- 
sides August Johnson there were five other 
children, and of these Gustav, a farmer in 
Boone county. Iowa, married Lottie Swan- 
son and has five children; Charles, a car- 
penter by trade, died in Louisiana some 
time during the early '70s; Frank, a farmer 
on the old homestead in Sweden, married 
Tilda Johnson ; Lotta, also living near the 
old Swedish homestead, married Gust 
Gustofson; and Fred, a farm laborer, died 
in Nebraska in 1890. 

From earliest youth August j< Jmsi m 
had ambitions beyond the limits of his na- 
tive land, and while attending the public 
schools and performing such duties as fell 
to his lot on the home farm, was quietly 
laying plans to better his prospects. In 
1870, when about twenty years of age. he 
set -ail from Gottenberg. Sweden, and after 
a tempestuous voyage of six weeks and five 
days landed in New York harbor. From 
New York city he took a train to Galva, 
Illinois, where he lived for five years. There 
Mr. Johnson worked for a time on a farm, 
and later engaged in the dingy work in the 
coal mines of Stark county, Illinois. In 
the spring of 1875 he returned to the land of 



674 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



his birth, but the end of the fall of the same 
year found him again in Illinois, whence he 
removed to Webster count}', Iowa, which 
has since been his home. 

In this county Mr. Johnson was mar- 
ried in 1876 to Augusta Johnson, whose 
father died in Sweden, but whose mother 
came to America in 1876, and made her 
home with her son-in-law, where she died 
in January, 1900. In the family besides 
Mrs. August Johnson were the following 
children: Alexander, who married Clara 
Isaacson and is a farmer on the old home- 
stead in Sweden; Ida, a resident of Des 
Moines, Iowa; Frank, a farmer of Buena 
Vista county, Iowa; and Charley, a resident 
of Atlantic. Iowa. Of the children horn to 
August Johnson and his wife but one sur- 
vives, Carl, who is the fourth in order of 
birth. Arthur died in his third year; Henry 
died when nine months old; and Ernest 
died when eleven months old. 

The first land investment of Mr. John- 
sun in Webster cnunty was eight}- acres in 
Dayton township, purchased for fourteen 
hundred and fifty dollars. Owing to good 
management and extended knowledge of the 
best way to run a farm his interests in- 
creased with the passing of every year, until 
he found use for the nine hundred and forty 
acres now in his possession. Added to a 
general farming enterprise he devoted par- 
ticular attention to the buying, selling and 
snipping of cattle and hogs, and makes a 
specialty of fine Durhams, of which he is 
feeding eighty head at present. Mr. John- 
son ranks among the most intelligent and 
scientific farmers in the county, and is a 
welcome acquisition to two townships, for 
two hundred acres of his land are located 
in Burnside township. With his wife he is 
a member of the Swedish Mission church at 
1 'ill it Mound, and is a sincere worker for the 



advancement of all philanthropic and hu- 
manitarian projects of his locality. Al- 
though an upholder of Republican prin- 
ciples and issues, he is not active in the local 
undertakings of his party, but prefers rather 
to devote all of his time to his farm and 
home. 



C. A. SWANSON. 



C. A. Swanson, of Dayton township, 
was horn in Sweden, September 11, 1854, 
and is the son of Andrew and Anna Swan- 
si in, natives of that country, where they lived 
and died. They were very worthy people 
and carefully trained their four children, 
who were as follows : Mary, wife of John 
N. Peterson, a farmer of Dayton township; 
Alfred, deceased, who married Carrie Han- 
son, now a resident of Pilot Mound, Iowa: 
C. A., our subject; and an infant who died 
in Sweden. 

As his parents were poor, our subject 
only had the opportunity to attend school 
a few days, having to devote all of his time 
to making shoes. Which trade he learned 
when only a child. He was but fourteen 
years of age when brought to America by 
his brother and sister. The little party 
sailed from Gottenberg. by way of Liver- 
pool, and finally landed in New York city, 
whence they traveled to Illinois, by way of 
Chicago, and settled at Altoona, Knox 
county. 

After locating there the young boy 
worked for two years upon a farm by the 
month in order to earn sufficient money to 
pay for his passage, he having been obliged 
to borrow it. In the spring' of 1869 he lo- 
cated in Webster county. Iowa, and worked 
as a farm hand at fourteen dollars a month 
for about twelve years. At the expiration 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



675 



of that time he had saved enough mone) to 
warrant his renting land, and for ten years 
he farmed rented land. Jn the fall of [890 
Mr. Swanson purchased one hundred and 
sixty teres of land on section u», Dayton 
township, which is now one of the finest 
farms in Webster county. Recently he has 
erected a new and commodious residence, 
which is fitted with modern conveniences, 
and it, with his substantial barn, cattle sheds 
and other outbuildings, neat fences, good 
orchard and well-cultivated fields, demon- 
strate that he is an excellent farmer as well 
as a good manager. Mr. Swanson devotes 
nmst of his attention to raising high-grade 
stuck fur the market, and raises sufficient 
grain to feed his herds. 

( )n May 14, 1884, he married, at Strat- 
ford, Iowa, Hulda Charlotte Munson, who 
was horn near that place June 23, i860, a 
daughter of Charles and Charlotte (Hagg) 
Munson, both natives of Sweden. The 
father came to America in 1849, and the 
mother, who was horn in 1832, came in 
1850, when she was eighteen. They were 
married in Xew Sweden, Iowa, where they 
made the acquaintance of each other. Mr. 
.Munson was a successful farmer and 
amassed one hundred and eight) - acres of 
land, then retired in 1900, and is now re- 
siding with his wife at Stratford. Mrs. 
Swanson was 1 me of a family of eight chil- 
dren, five of whom are now living: Hulda 
C. is the oldest. Lydia is the wife of Ed- 
ward Johnson, a furniture dealer of Strat- 
ford. Iowa, and they have four children. 
Rosina, horn August 15, 18(19, became the 
wife of William Wordblon, who died March 
7, 1898, and his widow now resides with 
her father and two children, Esther and 
Cyrus. Dora is the wife of Andrew Dahl, 
a resident of Lost Grove township, and has 
four children. Ernest II. married Grace 



Olson and lives on the homestead farm. 
The)- have one child. 

To our subject and wife were horn seven 
children, namely: Charles Herbert, born 
March 17, 1885; Oscar Theodore, October 
18, 1886; John Wesley, February 19, 1891 ; 
Lawrence Edward, June 17, 1893; Lloyd 
Henry, December 8, 1895; Elmer Vincent, 
November 4, 1897; ami Anna Leona, De- 
cember 16, 1900. 

In politics Mr. Swanson is a Republican, 
but has never had the time or desire to hold 
office, his private affairs absorbing his at- 
tention. He attends the Swedish Methodist 
church at Harcourt, Iowa, of which he is 
a liberal supporter. Throughout the com- 
munity he is highly esteemed, and the suc- 
cess which has attended his efforts is well 
merited. 



MILES H. ALLEN. 

Miles H. Allen, one of the progressive 
farmers of Burnside township, traces his 
ancestry back in unbroken succession to the 
time of the landing of the Pilgrims. For 
man) years his forefathers lived in Massa- 
chusetts but eventually members of the fam- 
ily removed to different parts of the east 
and middle west. Ohio profiting" to a consid- 
erable extent by the industry and good citi- 
zenship of a number who bore the name. 
The subject of this review was born in 
Dayton, Webster count)-. Iowa, April 12, 
1866, his parents being Samuel and Eliza 
(Gyer) Allen, the former born in Ohio, in 
March, 1829, while the latter was born in 
Indiana, September 20, 1835. It was in 
the year 1855 that they removed to Iowa, 
settling on a farm in Dayton township, 
where they remained until the father's death, 
which occurred September 7. 1882. His 



676 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



widow, who is now living in Burnside, was 
married in March, 1892, to Daniel Conklin, 
who died in 1896. By her first marriage she 
became the mother of the following named: 
David M., born July 2cS, 1854, married 
Julia Goltry and is a farmer of West Day- 
ton; Francis M., born January 30, 1857. 
wedded Mary Moore and is a farmer of 
Dayton township; Yiretta, born June 11, 
1859, ' s tne w ' ,e °f Herbert Lewis, a resi- 
dent of Pocahontas Center. Iowa; Mary 
Ellen, born May 29, 1862, is the wife of 
Fred Marsh, who resides on section 9, Burn- 
side township; Miles H., of this review, is 
the next of the family; Eli S., born August 
4, 1869, married Sarah Landreth and re- 
sides in Yell township; Jennie May. born 
December 13, 1875, is living with her 
mother; and one daughter died in infancy. 

Mr. Allen, whose name forms the cap- 
tion of this review, was educated in the dis- 
trict schools of his township, and remained 
at home with his parents until twenty-one 
years of age. He then began farming on 
his own account and for five years engaged 
in the cultivation of rented land, after which 
be purchased the farm of one hundred acres 
upon which he now resides. He has placed 
his land under a high state of cultivation, 
has made many improvements thereon and 
has erected a comfortable rural home to- 
gether with good barns and outbuildings 
for the shelter of grain and stock. 

On the 20th of December, 1887, Mr. 
Allen was married to Miss Minnie Holt, 
who was born in Dayton, Iowa, January 2^. 
[866, her parents being Joseph M. and 
Martha C. 1 Payne) Holt, who were natives 
of Tennessee but became residents of this 
state in 1859. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Allen 
has been born one child, Lester, whose birth 
occurred November 24, [888. Mr. Allen 
has filled several important offices within the 



gift of the people of his township, and has 
1 lone much to promote educational interests 
in his locality as a director and president of 
the school board. He is well known as an 
enterprising agriculturist ami progressive 
citizen and his worth is widely acknowledged 
in the county of his nativity. 

It will be interesting in this connection 
to append something of the history of Mrs. 
Allen's parents, who were well known peo- 
ple of this section of the state. Her father. 
Joseph M. Holt, was born in Tennessee and 
was a son of Barrot and Mary O. (Long) 
Holt. The former was born in Virginia, in 
1778, and when about twenty-five vears of 
age left the Old Dominion for Tennessee, 
where he lived for many years, when in 1850 
he and his wife accompanied their son Jo- 
seph to Missouri, where they remained for 
six years, coming thence to Webster county. 
Here Barrot Holt died December 2$, 1859. 
His parents were natives of England ami in 
1740 crossed the Atlantic to Virginia, 
where they spent their remaining days. 
Barrot Holt was married to Mary E. Long, 
who was born in Winchester, Virginia, in 
1786, and died in Missouri in 1853. She 
accompanied her brother to Tennessee and 
it was in that state that she met and married 
Barrot Holt. Her father came from Hol- 
land to America in 1776. At that time the 
American Revolution was in progress. The 
war was unpopular in England and King- 
George III was reduced to the "military 
necessity" of hiring troops from other na- 
tions and the men who were sent as soldiers 
had no choice. They were forced to go to 
America to shoot and be shot at because 
their masters at home were paid so much 
apiece for each soldier furnished: At that 
time every able-bodied man in Holland had 
to serve for at least one year in the regular 
armv. It was thus that Mrs. Holt's father 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



677 



came to America, hired by the sovereign 
of Holland to the king of England, but not 
wishing to fight against the colonies, he de- 
serted from the British army and joined the 
American forces under Washington. He 
was then sent to the frontier, where he 
fought until the close of the war. Then he 
located in Virginia, was married there and 
made his home there until his death. 

Joseph M. Holt, the son of Barrot and 
Mary (Long) Holt, was horn in Greene 
countw Tennessee, August 12, 1829, and 
made his home in that state until 1850, when 
he removed to Missouri, coming thence to 
Iowa in 1856. He was married in Tennes- 
see, September 27, 1849, to Miss Louisa J. 
Payne, who died March 25, 1859, leaving 
a son. Virgil A., who was born in Missouri, 
January 25, 1855, and is now a stock-buyer. 

In 1862 the Indians became dissatisfied 
with the Indian traders and the non-payment 
of the money clue them. Bands of warriors 
were perpetrating horrible massacres in 
Minnesota, [owa and Dakota, so in the fall 
of [862 Mr. Holt enlisted in a company at 
Fort Dodge, and was sent to Spirit Lake 
to protect the northern part of Iowa. A 
strong Eort was built and the troops re- 
mained there for four months, when, find- 
ing the trouble had ceased, they were sent 
home in January, 1863. In the fall of that 
year Mr. Holt enlisted in the Union army 
at Des Moines, but was rejected on account 
of imt being an able-bodied man. 

Returning to Webster count}-, Iowa, Mr. 
Holt was married to Miss Martha C. Payne. 
October 13, 1864. and from that time until 
his death, which occurred May 18, 1 X9 5 . he 
made his home in Webster count} - . The 
lad}' was a daughter of Jehu R. and Alvina 
(Milburn) Payne. The Payne family was 
also established in Virginia at an early day. 
Her grandfather, Henrv Payne, was born in 



the Old Dominion and when a young man 
went to Tennessee and thence to Illinois, 
settling near Springfield. He married Eliza- 
beth Glossin, whose ancestors came from 
England in the seventeenth century. She 
was born in Virginia and died at their home 
near Springfield, Illinois. Mr. Payne's 
grandfather came from England in [682 
with a band of English Quakers under Will- 
iam Penn and settled near Philadelphia. 
After the death of his wife Henry Payne 
removed from Illinois to Webster City, 
Iowa, where he remained until his death. 
His son, Jehu R. Payne, the father of 
Mrs. Holt, was born in Washington county, 
Tennessee, December 12, 1808, and after 
arriving at years of maturity married Al- 
vina Milburn, who was born in Greene 
county, Tennessee, April 4, 1809, her par- 
ents being Jonathan and Nancy A. ( Em- 
merson ) Milburn. Her father was born in 
Kentucky, May 17. 1776, and died in 
Greene county, Tennessee, in 18 16. He 
served throughout the war of 1812 and died 
in Tennessee about two years after his re- 
tirement from the army. He was of Welsh 
descent. His wife, Nancy A. Emmerson. 
was born in Kentucky, May 3. ^JjS. and 
was descended from Scotch ancestors who 
came to America during - the seventeenth 
century. She died in Greene county, Ten- 
nessee, in 1852. Their daughter Alvina be- 
came the wife of Jehu R. Payne, and in 
1851 he and his family went to Illinois, 
where thev lived one year; removing then 
to Marshall county. Iowa. Three years 
later, in 1854, the\- became residents of 
Webster count}' and Mr. Payne purchased 
land, continuing its cultivation until his 
death. He died there June 10, 1884, and 
his wife passed away September 6. 1866. 
Among their children was Martha C. Payne, 
who was born January 17. 1S47. and became 



6; 8 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the second wife of Joseph M. Holt and the 
mother of Airs. Allen. Unto Mr. and Airs. 
Holt were born the following- children : 
Ah -in ma, born February 10, 1868, was mar- 
ried February 10, 1897, to Fred Bedford, of 
Hotchkiss, Colorado, and prior to her mar- 
riage she taught school for a number of 
years; Frank, born January 14, 1870, died 
April 18, 1S92; Joseph, born January 31. 
1872, was married. January 26, 1895, to 
Cora Heifry, and engaged in the practice of 
medicine in Oklahoma until his death. May 
24, 1901 ; Ettie, born April 13, 1874. is a 
teacher in the public schools of Hamilton 
county, Iowa; Melissa, born April 15, 1876, 
died in March, 1880; Barrot W., born April 
10, 1878, died in 1879; Clyde, born May 16, 
1880, is at home; Vesta, born November 4, 
1882, and Ferd, born December 11, 1884, 
are also at home. 



FRANK DAYTON. 

The earliest associations of Air. Dayton 
are connected with Iowa, where he was born, 
in Howard county, October 16, 1859. His 
father, Hiram Dayton, a native of Alani- 
toba, settled in Howard county in an early 
day and there met and married Frances 
Pooper, who was born in New York state. 
After a short time in Howard county they 
crossed the plains to California, making the 
long journey in a prairie schooner drawn by 
oxen. Subsequently they again became 
residents of Howard county, but during the 
'50s went back to the Pacific coast, where 
Hiram Dayton was employed in running- a 
sawmill. Returning to Iowa in 1871, he 
established his family in Homer and se- 
cured employment for himself in operating 
a sawmill on the Boone river for Smith & 



Warner. A year later he moved his family 
nearer the mill, and after another year he 
leased the mill property, which he and a 
partner operated for some time. His next 
location was near Fort Dodge, in the vicin- 
ity of the present site of the Duncombe 
mill. From there he moved to Jake Crouse's 
mill, across from the mouth of Boone river. 
After a short time he bought a threshing ma- 
chine and engine, which he operated for two 
years. Returning to the business with which 
he had been most particularly associated, he 
formed a partnership with D. Porter and 
engaged in sawing- ties on the Boone river 
for B. C. Dixon. After a year the mill was 
moved to the AIcGuire Bend, and soon after- 
ward the property was sold. For a num- 
ber of years he had charge of a mill owned 
by Hamlin & Sketchley, and finally bought 
the plant, which he moved to Brushy creek, 
then to Crooked creek and finally to Homer, 
where he operated a feed and saw mill com- 
bined. 

A subsequent business enterprise man- 
aged by Hiram Dayton was the operating 
of a mill at Coalville, Webster count}-, 
where he leased a tract of timber land owned 
by Thomas and Frank Collins. On selling 
that mill he settled in Dayton, Iowa. There 
he turned his attention to a different line of 
work, embarking in the drug business, with 
Dr. C. L. Warner as a partner. Two years 
later he moved to Webster City. Iowa, and 
then spent six months in travel through the 
west. Returning to Iowa, he accompanied 
a son to Alinneapolis and bought a sawmill, 
which he set up on Holiday creek, and op- 
erated the same in that location from Sep- 
tember to February. The mill was then 
moved to Brushy creek. When his son 
Charles bought his interest in the plant he 
went to Homer and opened a blacksmith's 
shop. Since then he has continued to reside 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



679 



in that town. Politically he is a Democrat, 
and lias been elected by his party to various 
local offices. In fraternal relations he is 
connected with the lodge and encampment 
of Odd Fellows and also with the Rehekahs. 

In the family of Hiram Dayton there 
were eight children. The eldest. Jeannette, 
married Philip Miller, by whom she has one 
child. They make their home in Webster 
City, where Mr. Miller is engaged in the 
real-estate business. The second in order of 
birth is Prank, the subject of this article. 
The third child, Harry M., married Kate 
Dingman, and they and their two children 
reside in Webster City. Charles, of Web- 
ster township, married Mary L. Goodrich 
and has three children living. Inez married 
Frank Sherman and lives at Fergus Falls, 
Ottertail county. Minnesota. The above 
named are the only members of the family 
who attained maturity, three children hav- 
ing died when young. 

The schools which Frank Dayton at- 
tended were radically different from those of 
the 1 'pening years of the twentieth century. 
Most of them were held in log cabins, with 
slab seats, puncheon floors and old-fashioned 
fireplaces. While at Fort Dodge he studied 
in a subscription school, and later made his 
home with the parents of Dr. Warner, 
meantime attending school. After he was 
fifteen his studies ceased and he became an 
assistant to his father, with whom he re- 
mained until he was twenty-one. In Web- 
ster township, Webster county. Februar) 
20, 1881, he married Mary A. Wilson, who 
was burn November 23, i860. Her father. 
Lawrence K. Wilson, a native of England, 
came to America in early life and settled in 
Iowa. For many years he served as justice 
of the peace, and in politics he always sup- 
]" rted the Democratic party. Throughout 
all of his later years he worshipped with the 



United Brethren denomination. His wife 
was Susan Southwell, who was born in 
England and came to America at fourteen 
years of age. After the death of Mr. Wil- 
son, which occurred in Hamilton canity, 
Iowa, November 28, [886, ln~ widow was 
married to Edward M. Abb tt. < If her first 
marriage there were the following named 
children : Aquilla, who married Florence 
Goodrich and lives in Algona, Iowa; Mary 
A., who married Frank Dayton: Lawrence, 
who married Ruth Crousier and makes his 
home at Fairfield, South Dakota: William, 
who died at thirty-one years ,.f age: Perry, 
who married Anna Stage and lives at Blue 
Earth City, Minnesota: Alice, Mrs. Thomas 
Goodrich, of Webster City: John, who is 
unmarried and makes his home with his 
mother. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. 
Dayton there are three children, Hiram L, 
Susie and Myrtle. 

After his marriage Frank Dayton settled 
on the Daniels farm near Homer, Iowa, 
where he remained about one year, and 
then was a partner of his father for three 
years-. A subsequent enterprise was farm- 
ing, purchasing the farm which he now- oc- 
cupies. The land was then covered with a 
heavy growth of timber, and man} - months 
of constant industry were necessary in order 
to place it in condition for cultivation. As 
a result of his perseverance the tract of 
nearly five hundred acres i*; now conceded 
to be 1 me of the best farms in Webster u wn- 
ship. It lies on sections 10 and 11. and is 
improved with a neat residence and sub- 
stantial barns. Stock-raising i^ one of the 
specialties of the owner, who raises high- 
grade cattle and hogs for the market, and is 
also interested in horses, being a trustee of 
the Percheron Horse Company of Homer, 
Iowa. All of th: grain raised on the farm 
is fed to the stock, which Mr. Davton has 



68o 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



found tu be more profitable than selling it 
in the markets. In addition to the manage- 
ment of this property, lie is interested in 
blacksmithing and alsu in the sawmill busi- 
ness on Brushy creek, Webster township. 
Like his father, he is a firm believer in Dem- 
ocratic principles, and has held all of the 
township offices. Fraternally he is a mem- 
ber of the lodge and encampment of Odd 
Fellows, besides belonging to the Order of 
Rebekahs. 



CLARENCE S. PRATT. 

In a very early day in the history of 
America the Pratt family crossed the ocean 
from German}- and settled in New York. 
Later representatives bore an honorable part 
in bringing success to American arms dur- 
ing the Revolution! and the war of 1812. 
William Pratt, father of Clarence S. Pratt, 
was born in Chenango count}-. Xew York) 
in 1812, and in 1839 married Harriet Nash, 
whi 1 was born in a village known as Pratt's 
Hollow, in Madison county,. New York. For 
some years after their marriage they re- 
mained in the east, but, following the west- 
ward tide of emigration, in 1851 they sought 
a home beyond the vicinity of their old 
home. With four yoke of oxen they drove 
through from New York to Illinois, and in 
their primitive prairie schooner landed in 
Chicago, a village of a few houses located 
in the midst of a swamp. Prospects for 
the future of the town were so gloomy that 
land was offered for sale at three dollars an 
acre, yet found no buyers. Settling about 
twenty miles from the then village, they con- 
tinued there for three years, and then re- 
moved to Fayette county, Iowa, locating 
near West LTnion. in 1857, on land which 
Mrs. Pratt secured with a land warrant 



which her father had received in recogni- 
tion for his services in the Revolutionary 
war. The family made their home in that 
county for about twenty years. In 1878 
the parents came to Webster county, where 
our subject had located the year previous, 
and the}- made their home with him for five 
years, he having purchased eighty acres of 
land in Washington township. Subsequent- 
ly the mother bought a tract of land, and 
the old people were cared for by their son 
Allen, who cultivated and improved the farm 
for them. In politics Mr. Pratt was a Re- 
publican. His death occurred on the farm 
in 1891, and his wife passed away April 
17, 1898, at the age of seventy-eight years, 
six months and three days. They were the 
parents of nine children. The eldest. James 
Monroe, died in earlv childhood, as did also 
Ellsworth and Jedidah, while Asa O. died 
at twenty-five years, and Dorlesca when 
nineteen. Melvin was a young man when 
the Civil war came on. and he at once en- 
listed' in an Iowa regiment. During the 
engagement at Gettysburg he fought for two 
days in the ranks, when he was taken ill and 
soon afterward died in a hospital. Elvin 
L.. a twin brother of Melvin, was also a 
soldier in the Union army and was wounded 
at Pea Ridge. The youngest of the fam- 
ily. Allen L.. married Mary Scott. Septem- 
ber 29, 1901. and resides on a farm in Wash- 
ington township. 

It was the custom of Clarence S. Pratt 
in early childhood to arise very early in the 
morning, do all the chores of the farm (his 
older brothers being in the arm}- ), and then 
walk two miles to school, returning late in 
the afternoon to resume his work on the 
farm. His father being in poor health, much 
of the work of managing the property fell 
upon him. ^ 'hen be was twenty-one his 
father gave him a span of colts and a light 





*^ C 1 


V 


- - % 












*^ 




^^^™«?Tr-"' fc - 










>- 









MR. AND MRS. C. S. PRATT 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



683 



spring-wagon and he started for Nebraska. 
When he reached Webster county the June 
rains rendered further progress undesirable, 
so he remained and operated a threshing 
machine for his brother. The next year he 
rented eighty acres from D. M. Daniels, but 
in the fall purchased a farm in Washington 
township. His faith in the future is indi- 
cated by the fact that he had to borrow 
money with which to make the first payment 
on the land. Few improvements had been 
made on the property, but the land was part- 
ly broken and a walnut plank house had been 
built. 

The industry and capable management 
of Mr. Pratt showed quick results. The in- 
debtedness was paid off and soon he was on 
the road to prosperity, largely through the 
scientific and modern manner in which he 
conducted his place. After settling on that 
farm he engaged in threshing every season, 
and owned a very fine threshing machine 
and engine, a corn sheller and corn shredder. 
He was a stockholder in the Elevator O im- 
pany at Duncombe. which buys and sells 
cattle, hogs, lumber and coal. At no time 
in his life has he been an office seeker, yet 
lie is firm in his allegiance to the Republican 
party. Like all the members of his family, 
he is imbued with the spirit of patriotism, 
inherited not only from his paternal amis 
tors, but also from the Xash family (of 
English stock), his great-grandfather Xash 
having taken part in the Revolution and the 
war of 1S1 _>. 

In Webster City, Iowa, Tanuary 21, 
1882, Mr. Pratt was united in marriage t « « 
Miss Marion Colburn, who was born in 
Montreal, Canada, May 29, 1850. a daugh- 
ter of Major E. E. Colburn, a sketch of 
whom follow this. She had excellent edu- 
cational advantages, attending first the 
Mound Street Seminary, in Cincinnati. 



Ohio, while later she was a student in a pri- 
vate academy, subsequently continuing her 
studies at Fort Dodge, Iowa, and then com- 
pleting her education in the Wesleyan Uni- 
versity of Cincinnati. She has devoted her- 
self to school teaching and has acquired an 
excellent reputation for success in that work. 
For fifteen years she was connected with the 
public schools of Webster county; for three 
years was a teacher in the high school of 
Fort Dodge, and at one time was principal 
of the schools of Lake City. In February, 
1902, Mr. and Mrs. Pratt sold their farm to 
P. T. Flynn, of Duncombe. and the last of 
April moved to Snohomish. Washington. 
There they have bought a handsome resi- 
dence, and after a life of toil expect to take 
life more easily. 



MAJOR E. E. COLBURX. 

Major Ezekiel Elliott Colburn, an hon- 
ored veteran of the Civil war, was for sev- 
eral years prominently identified with the in- 
dustrial interests of Webster county, and 
during that time became widely and favor- 
ably known throughout this community. He 
was born in Parisville. Xew York. July 14, 
1814, and was descended from English no- 
bility. During their residence in this coun- 
try the Colburn family has ever been a very 
patriotic and loyal one. having representa- 
tives in every war in which America has 
been engaged. The Majors parents were 
Rev. Thomas Chandler and Sarah (Phil- 
lips ) Colburn, the former of whom was born 
in Chester. Vermont, April 15. ijS,}. and 
died in Montreal, Canada, January T2. 1S48, 
while the latter was born in Surrey, New 
Hampshire, October 14, 1788. and died in 
Cincinnati, Ohio, July 9, [876. They were 



684 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



married at Madrid, New York, on the 24th 
of December, 1809. Mrs. Colburn's father 
was a physician practicing in the town of 
Surrey, New Hampshire, and her husband's 
father was an Episcopal clergyman. 

The Major was named both for an uncle 
and for Commodore Elliott, who was a dis- 
tant relative of the family. When only four 
years old he accompanied his parents on 
their removal to Montreal, Canada, and be- 
ing reared among French Canadians he was 
able to speak the French language as fluent- 
ly as the English. He received a thorough- 
ly practical business education, and began 
his business career as a clerk in a hardware 
store of Montreal. 

In that city, September 30, 1837, Major 
Colburn married Miss Elizabeth Helen 
Bostvvick, who was a native of that place 
and was then about eighteen years of age. 
She was educated at a fashionable boarding 
school in Schenectady. New York, of which 
state her father was a native, being a de- 
scendant of the Bostwick family that came 
to this country from England in 1630. Unto 
the Major and his wife were born the fol- 
lowing children : Helen, who is a music 
teacher in Cincinnati, Ohio; Sarah L., who 
resides with her sister Helen; Frederick, 
also a resident of Cincinnati: Elliott, whose 
home is near Puget Sound in Washington; 
and Marion, wife of Clarence S. Pratt, 
whose sketch appears above. The older of 
the two sons married Elizabeth Davis, of 
Portsmouth, Ohio, and has an only daugh- 
ter. Mrs. Alice Moeller, now a resident of 
the city of Mexico. The younger son mar- 
ried Ella R. Cramer, and they have three 
children : Lloyd, who served in the Span- 
ish \nierican war; Dell Rose; and Florence. 

During the residence of both the Bost- 
wick and Colburn families in Canada they 
never gave up their allegiance to the United 



States. At the time of his marriage the 
Major was engaged in the hardware busi- 
ness in Montreal, and later was part owner 
of an extensive wholesale flouring mill, but 
the firm was one of the many that failed dur- 
ing a financial depression at that time, and 
he concluded to try his fortune in the United 
States. He first went to New Orleans, and 
accepted a position as bookkeeper and for- 
eign (French) correspondent in a large 
wholesale sugar house. He was delighted 
with that beautiful city, but fearing the cli- 
mate would prove too great a change from 
what he had been accustomed to in Canada, 
he retraced his steps as far as Cincinnati, 
where his brother Charles had already lo- 
cated. There the Major embarked in the 
wholesale dry goods business as a member 
of the firm of Watts & Colburn, but failure 
again overtook him during the panic of 1855. 

In those dark days the "great west" 
was the hope and beacon of young and un- 
successful business men, so with several 
others, including Messrs. Booth and Kava- 
nagh, Major Colburn journeyed to Fort 
Dodge, Iowa, which at that time was scarce- 
ly more than a frontier military post. He 
pre-empted a half-section of land on the 
west bank of the Des Moines river, and after 
four years of disheartening hardships inci- 
dent to a frontier settlement, during which 
time the railroad looked for did not ma- 
terialize, he returned to Cincinnati in [860 
to engage in the insurance business with 
William Glassford. While at Fort Dodge 
he commenced the development of the first 
coal mine in Webster county, opening what 
was known as the Colburn vein. He oper- 
ated the mine with varying success until his 
return to Cincinnati. 

When the Civil war broke out he offered 
his services to the government, enlisting in 
the summer of 1861. at Portsmouth, Ohio, 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



685 



as regimental quartermaster with the rank 
of lieutenant, but was rapidly promoted, 
within six months being made brigade quar- 
termaster under General Sill, with the rank 
of colonel, and then as division quartermas- 
ter under Generals Buell, Nelson and Rous- 
seau, with the rank' of major. He became 
a personal friend of both General Sill and 
General Nelson, and was highly compli- 
mented by the latter in the reports which 
were sent to Washington, but as the army 
business was imperfectly conducted in the 
whirl and rush of war times and especially 
owing to the sudden and unexpected death 
of General Nelson, Major Colburn's papers 
were never formally made out and signed. 
Consequently, beyond his pay as an officer, 
he reaped no advantage for himself or fam- 
ily, although he had a splendid army record. 
He was much beloved by the soldiers. All 
his spare time was spent in the hospital 
tents and numberless were his acts of kind- 
ness for the sick and wounded. 

Upon leaving the army Major Colburn 
accepted the position of cashier in the bank 
of H. O. Gilbert, and while there was very 
fortunate in some speculations, from which 
he made one hundred thousand dollars, but 
this sum was quickly dispersed in other ven- 
tures in the oil fields of Kentucky and 
Athens county, Ohio. With the remnant of 
his fortune the Major returned to Fort 
Dodge in 1866, and occupied himself in lay- 
ing out the town of West Fort Dodge. He 
next undertook the development of coal 
mines on the west bank of the Des Moines 
river, sinking three shafts and about fifteen 
thousand dollars in this disastrous work. Al- 
though the coal was of a fine quality, faulty 
construction destroyed the shafts and water 
accumulated in the mines, and thus he lost 
his entire fortune. 

In 1869, at the age of fifty-five years. 



Major Colburn started for New York, in- 
tending to take up the battle of life there, 
but during the year spent in that city he 
was unsuccessful in seeking employment, as 
was also the case the following year in St. 
Louis. He then formed a partnership with 
two men and went to Dallas. Texas, for the 
purpose of furnishing beef to a New York 
firm, but one of his friends soon afterward 
died, and the other partner, a wealthy cap- 
italist, returned to Xew York, leaving the 
Major to pursue his plans alone. He trav- 
eled all over Texas and a part of Mexico 
for a year or two, and at length settled in 
Dallas, where he engaged in several differ- 
ent enterprises. At the end of two years he 
formed a partnership with three men under 
the name of the Dallas Ice Company. They 
built an immense ice house on the outskirts 
of the city with the intention of furnish- 
ing ice not only to that place, but also to 
the towns along the coast, but just as it was 
completed and densely packed with ice a 
flash of lightning struck it and burned it 
to the ground. At the time of his death 
-Major Colburn was manager of a lumber 
mill at Gladewater, twenty miles from Dal- 
las. Here were employed two- hundred men 
of a lawless character, and the Major never 
appeared among them without being 
armed to the teeth. The proprietor of the 
mill got in debt to him for his services as 
manager and rewarded him simply with a 
profusion of thanks and praise for his brav- 
ery in controlling such desperate characters. 
Gladewater being situated in a marshy 
district. Major Colburn contracted malarial 
fever, from which he died November 30, 
1875. The illness was kept a secret from 
his family until hope was passed. He had 
become a warm friend of a noble yi >ung 
man, Captain W. G. Currie, formerly of the 
Xew York Volunteers, who with great in- 



686 



NIK lilOGRAl'IMCAL RECORD. 



\ enience to himself and sparing no pains 

or trouble to make the sufferer comfortable 
had the Major in charge until the arrival of 
the I.iiut's son, Elliott, at Dallas. When he 
passed away Captain Currie mourned him 
.1.1 i m would a Father, and too much can- 
imi be said by the family in their gratitude 
for thai gentleman's tender can-. The Earn 
ilv had no last look at their beloved dead. 
For the remains were buried in one ol the 
Dallas cemeteries. In early life Major Col- 
burn was a very handsome man. anil he pos- 
sesed great and shining talents, especially 
fur financiering and the management <>f 
wholesale wink, but For some unaccountable 
reason, whether ill luck or the combination 
nf unfortunate circumstances, his life was 
>>ne long series of reverses and brillianl fail- 
ures, Mis course was ever honorable and 
upright, and he enjoyed the confidence and 
high regard nf all with whom he came in 
contacl either in husincss or social life, so 
that his death was widely and deeply 
mourned'. The following were among the 
manj tributes paid in his memor) at that 

lime. 

"The announcement nf the death ol 
Maji 'i I' . E. ( '■< ilburn w ill he receh ed w ith 
sad feelings by his nld arm) comrades in 
tins vicinity. At the commencement ol the 
war Mr. Colburn, then a merchant nf Cin- 
cinnati, was appointed quartermaster ol the 
Thirty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer In- 
fantry, Colonel J. W. Sill commanding. 
Naturally of a military east nf mind, and 
bringing excellent Imsiness qualities to Ins 

official position, he soon won the entire con- 
fidence uf his commander and fellow officers, 
and the writer nf this has often heard the 
late General Sill speak nf him in terms ol 
the highest praise and as an invaluable of- 
ficer. Once in the field his peculiar fitness 
fur the position soon attracted attention and 



in a very short lime he was placed on the 

i. iii of Major General Nelson, whose entire 
confidence he always enjoyed. The approval 

nf such officers as the two ahnyc named 
speaks in no light terms n\ his peculiar fit- 
ness and ability as an officer. Alter the war 

he again engaged in commeroial pursuits, 
and has now passed away. The many genial 
and kind qualities of Major Colburn will be 
long remembered by his nld comrades." 
This article appeared in a Ross a >unty, Ohio, 
paper, November 30, 1875, and was signed 

"Adjutant," and mi the same date there ap- 
peared in the Cincinnati Enquirer the fol- 
li iwing : 

"Major Colburn was for many years a 

resident nf this city. Me was at one time in 

the wholesale dry goods Imsiness on Pearl 
street, and had many friends among business 
men, who esteemed him highl) for his ster- 
ling integrity nf character. Me served with 
distinction in the Union army during the 
late war i>\ the Rebellion. Me entered the 

service as a lieutenanl in the Thirtj third 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, hut was speedily 
promoted to the rank nf major for meritori- 
ous services and assigned in duty mi the 
Staff of the late ( iencral William Xelsmi, w ho 
became a warm friend <>\ his. Me was die 
soldiers' friend: was always trying to do 
something in make the private soldiers more 
comfortable, especially the sick- and wound- 
ed, There are many soldiers nf the nld 
\111iY ni the Cumberland who will remem- 
ber his visits to the hospitals and his efforts 
to alleviate their sufferings and well was he 
repaid for all his kindness, for being far 
away from home when taken sick and 
among strangers Major Ransom, formerly 
nf Ransom's Battery, an nld army comrade, 
and \Y. G. Currie. ^\ Dallas, sought him 
out and lavished every care and attention 
upon him until his son reached him. and 



THE UK (GRAPHICAL REC< )RD. 



687 



even then they never left his bedside until 
all was over. He was especiallj devoted to 
Ins family and grieved sadly at being de- 
prived oi their loving kindness in his last 
illness. He became united with the Protest 
ant Episcopal church several years since, and 
was much comforted in his last hours by 
his faith in the church and his hopes of a 
future existence in the land where peace 
and happiness reign evermore." 



\\ [LLIAM II. WIDICK. 

The fertile acres of Burnside township 
have proved .1 pr< Stable soui ce oi 1 e\ enu< 
to William II. Widick, who is the owner of 
two hundred and fort) acres of well-im- 
proved land, and is engaged in general farm 
ing and stock raising. He was born in 
Macon county, Illinois, July 14, 1852, and 
continued to make thai his home until the 
age of twelve years. The family then re 
moved to Webster county, Iowa, and here 
he worked on his father's farm until twent) 
one years of age. He then started out on 
an independent \ enture in Illinois, and after 
working for nine months returned to towa 
and worked on his lather's farm until twen 
i ] 1 1 ■.. i . ,11 -, old. 

On November 11. [877, Mr. Widick 
married Mary A. Blanchard, who was bom 
in Burlington, Eowa, December 28, 1853, 
her parents also being of American birth, 
and at present residents of Webster City, 
w here the lather is li\ ing a retired life. 'The 
famih own a farm northeast of Lehigh. 
Mrs. Widick is one of a family of nun 1 hil 
dren, the others being: Preston, who died 
.11 the age of twent) seven; I .i/zie, who mar- 
ried Joel I'*.. DanieN and lives on a farm 111 
Washington township; Louisa J., widow of 



\\ llliam I '< well, w ho died in W eb itei ' 
in [896; Henry, who married < 1 11 a Bald- 
ridge and lives mi a farm iuai Lehigh; 
Caroline, who died al the ag< oi 
years; Beecher, who married Martha Blair 
and lives at Fi at I >odge ; Emma, whi 1 died 
in infancy ; and Emmet, w ho died at il, 
n\ five years. Two children have been born 
ti ' Mr. and Mrs. Widick : Benjamin B 
born December 28, [879; and Louisa, born 
September 23, 1888. 

After leaving his father's farm Mr. 
\\ idick lived 1 m rented land southeast of 
Dayton for four years, and in (882 n 
moved to the farm upon which he now lives, 
and which was then one hundred and sixty 

acres in extent. To this he has added until 

he 1 'W ns the two hundred and fort; acn 
before mentii med. I lc has mam inh 
aside from those which pertain to his 
immediate surroundings, and is a stockhold- 
er in the Lehigh Savings Bank, and has an 
interesl in the creamery at Burnside. He 
is a Republican in political inclination, and 
is fraternally associated with the Modern 
\\ 1 h idmeii ■ >f America. He is one oi the 
progressive farmers of his township, and 
his counsel and practical assi tance are evei 
at the disposal of worth) township entei 
prises. 



'ETER LINN. 



Sweden has furnished to V\ ebster COUllty 

many of her most prominenl and highly 
1 e pei ted 1 itizens, and t> 1 this class beli mgi d 
Peter Linn, whose last days were spent in 

I >;i\ ton, w liel e Ills w idow Still resides. I le 

was born in Lindkopings Lan, Sw edi 11 
|une 21, 1823, and in that country his par 
mi pent their entire li\ es. In the famil) 

were six children, three sons and threi 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



daughters. All of the former came to 
America, these being Peter, our subject; 
John, who is now a widower and a resident 
of Stratford, Iowa; and Gust, deceased. 
His widow makes her home in Dayton. 

In the land of hu birth Mr. Linn grew 
to manhood, and was married in 1846 to 
Miss Sophia Olson, who was born in the 
same country, March 24, 1822, a daughter 
of Peter and Mary Olson, who were fann- 
ing people and life-long residents of Sweden. 
She has two' brothers, John Peter, who lived 
in .Dayton township; and Frederick, who 
was married and lived in Sweden until his 
death. 

It was in 1851 that Mr. and Mrs. Linn 
bade good-bye to friends and native land and 
sailed for the new world, where they landed 
after a stormy voyage of eleven weeks. One 
of their three children had previously died 
in Sweden and another in New York soon 
after reaching this country. They did not 
tarry long in the eastern metropolis but came 
at once to Iowa, and took up a government 
claim in Pilot Mound township, Boone 
county, on which Mr. Linn was successfully 
engaged in farming for thirty-three years. 
He was then able to retire from active la- 
bor and spend his last days in ease and com- 
fort, having in 1884 purchased a splendid 
brick residence in Dayton, now occupied by 
his widow. There he died December 22, 
1892, honored and respected by all who 
knew him. He was a consistent and faith- 
ful member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church and served as president of the board 
of trustees. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Linn were born the 
following children : Olaf Peter, born in 
1S47, died in infancy in Sweden; John Ed- 
ward, born March 1, 1849, died in New 
York. August 1, 1851 ; Olaf Leonard, born 
December 2, 1850, died in Iowa in 1852; 



Oscar Peter, born January 7, 1853, died 
March 9, 1872, in Iowa; Matilda, born Oc- 
tober 30, 1854, married William Carson, 
now a resident of Texas, and she died April 
20, 1879, while their only child died in in- 
fancy; John Frederick, born September 7, 
1856, died April 9, 1880; Julia, born De- 
cember 28, 1861, died April 10, 1879; and 
Maria Sophia, born August 17, 1864, died 
August 4, 1886. Of this family only the 
mother is now living. She is an earnest 
member of the Swedish Methodist Episo 1- 
pal church and is a most estimable lady of 
many sterling qualities, who has a large 
circle of friends in this communitv. 



GEORGE F. YUNGCLAS. 

One of the most prosperous and prom- 
ising of the younger generation of farmers 
of Webster county is George F. Yung- 
clas, who was born in Hamilton county, 
Iowa, November 14, 1875, a son of John 
Henry and Catherine (Kober) Yung'clas, 
natives, respectively, of Cassel and Wur- 
temberg, Germany. 

The parents of Mr. Yungclas came to 
America about 1850, and were married in 
Connecticut, where they afterward lived 
for a short time. With the hope of ma- 
terially brightening their prospects they 
then removed to Tama county, Iowa, 
where the father bought eighty acres of 
land upon which he farmed until the spring 
of 1869. Before removing to Hamilton 
county, Iowa, he purchased a half section 
of land in 1868, and upon this property they 
eventually settled, and in time acquired over 
six hundred acres of land. They were 
among the most successful farmers of the 
county, and amassed a fortune by reason of 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



their industry and toil. At present the par- 
ents are living at llighview. Hamilton 
county, where they have a pleasant home 
and are comparatively retired from active 
life. The father is a Republican in polities, 
and i- a dev> ted member and supporter of 
the G ngregaitional church. The following 
children have been born into the family: 
Henry, a farmer of Hamilton county, who 
married first, Emma Stahl. and after her 
death. Anna Argubright; Martha, who is 
the wife of William Burns, of Webster 
county; Emma, who first married Louis 
Staid, and is now the wife of Charles Stahl, 
■ •\ Geneseo, Illinois; Katie, who is living 
with her parents; and George F., our sub- 
ject. 

At the district schools of the neighbor- 

h 1 Mr. Yungclas studied diligently until 

lus seventeenth year, after which he de- 
voted his entire time to assisting with his fa- 
ther's extensive farming enterprises. On 
August 22. 1900, at Webster City, Iowa, 
he married Winnie Stahl, who was born 
in Geneseo, Illinois, December 4, 1882, a 
daughter of Henry and Rebecca (Doyle) 
Stahl. also natives of Geneseo. The par- 
ents were married in their native town, and 
in 1883 removed t< 1 Iowa, and located upon 
a farm purchased by the father in Hamilton 
county. Here the mother died in 1890, 
and the father afterwards married Anna 
Billington, and lives in Webster City. He 
is a Republican in polities, and is the owner 
cf much property, among other possessions 
being a farm of half a section in South 
Dakota. Airs. Yungclas is a child of the 
first union, and of the second union there 
1- one child. Gladys, who is living with her 
parents. 

After his marriage Mr. Yungclas moved 
to the farm upon which he now lives, and 
which is admirably equipped for the most 



scientific tanning. There is a modern and 
particularly well built and well furnished 
residence, commodious barns, granaries, 
and all manner of up-to-date agricultural 
implements. In all Mr. Yungclas manages 
tour hundred and ninety acres in Hamilton 
eount\, and one hundred and sixty acres in 
Webster county. The house is located 
on section 36, Fremont township, Ham- 
ilton county. Although a stanch Re- 
publican, and vitally interested in the un- 
dertakings of his party, he has steadfastly 
refused to hold officiaj positions, preferring 
to devote all his time to the management of 
his large interests. Fie is one of the influ- 
ential farmers of Hamilton and Webster 
counties, and his friends and associates 
prophesy a future of extended usefulness 
and accomplishment. 



A. G. ANDERSON. 



Among the very successful, highly re- 
spected and well-known farmers of Web- 
ster county, Iowa, is A. G. Anderson, who 
owns some of the most valuable property in 
Dayton township. He was born in a coun- 
try which is bound to the United States by 
many friendly ties, so many of the best citi- 
zens in every part of this great land having 
originated in far-off Sweden, where his 
birth occurred June 2, 1838. He is one of 
a family of eight children, whose parents 
were Andrew and Carrie Anderson, life- 
long residents of their native land. Three 
brothers of our subject also came to Amer- 
ica, these being: John, deceased, who mar- 
ried Lotta Anderson, now- a resident of 
Omaha, Nebraska; Samuel, who married 
Marie Nelson and lives in Perry. Okla- 
homa; ami Charles, who married Carrie 



690 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Johnson, now deceased, and resides in Pat- 
ins, m. New York. 

Air. Anderson of this sketch was edu- 
cated in his native country, leaving school 
at the age of fourteen years, and was con- 
firmed in the Lutheran church, at the age 
of sixteen, showing that his parents were 
careful and pious people. He was taught 
also to be honest and industrious and was 
employed both at farm work and on rail- 
road building. He also worked in a tan- 
nery for a time. According to the law of 
the land, he served in the Swedish army, 
and he was twenty-six years old when he 
decided to emigrate to America. In [865 
he sailed from Gottenberg to Hamburg and 
thence to Xew York. He was first em- 
ployed at Princeton, Illinois, for two years. 
On leaving that state Mr. Anderson went 
to Minnesota, hut a year later we rind him 
in Chicago, going thence to the lumber re- 
gions of Michigan, where he worked in a 
sawmill through one winter, and then re- 
turned to Chicago. In 1868 he came to 
Boone. Iowa, where he worked as a stone 
mason. 

It was while there that he was united 
in marriage, December 31, 1870, to Han- 
nah Peterson, also a native <<i Sweden. 
She was born June 3, 1850, and is a daugh- 
ter of Samuel and Sarah ( Danielson) 
Peterson, both of. whom were natives of 
Sweden, where the father died. In [882 
the mother came to America and resides 
with her son, Henry Peterson, in Lost 
Grove township, Webster county, Iowa. 
Mr-. Anderson is the sixth in a family of 
seven children, the others being: Henry, 
who first married Tilda Sandholm, and sec- 
mid Christina Lindquist, and lives in Lost 
Grove township; Sophia, the wife of John 
Johnson, of Sweden: Emma, who was the 
wife of Seaman Anderson, and lived in 



Chicago, where she died in 1871 ; Alfred, 
who married Annie Peterson and resides 
in Sweden ; Augusta, who married John 
Peterson anil lives in Kingsboro, Califor- 
nia; and Victor, who died at the age of 
eight years. 

After his marriage Mr. Anderson went 
to Chicago, where he worked at his trade 
for four years, and then came to Webster 
count}-, Iowa, locating in Dayton town- 
ship, in 1874. Here he bought <me hun- 
dred and sixty acres of raw prairie land on 
section 21, paying three dollars and fifty 
cents per acre, and this he improved by 
building a residence and barns. In t88t 
Ik sold it for a handsome sum. Then 
he bought another one hundred and sixty 
acres on section 28, Dayton township, and 
here he has one of the most comfortable 
homes and well-equipped farms in the 
township. A tract of one hundred and 
twenty acres on section 34 was sold by him 
in the spring of 1901. Mr. Anderson suc- 
cessfully raises great numbers of high-grade 
stock for market, feeding many head. He 
has never saved himself in his farming op- 
erations, always taking a personal interest 
in everything, and this is one secret of his 
success. 

I'm Mr. Anderson and his most es- 
timable wife a family of twelve children 
has been born, namely: August W.. burn 
in Webster county, January 24, 1872, mar- 
ried Maggie Nilson in February, 1894, and 
they have two children — Floyd and Beasle. 
They live in Perry. Oklahoma. Carrie M.. 
born in Chicago, October <), 1873. in [894 
married Peter Johnson, a farmer of Day- 
ton township, and they have two sons — 
Emory and Lloyd. Oscar R.. horn in Web- 
ster county. March 24. 1876, was married 
in [897 to Minnie Peterson and resides on 
a farm in Dayton township. They have 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



691 



one son — Russell. Sarah M., born June 
13, 1878, in Webster county; Julia X., Au- 
gust 28, [880; Charles Edwin, February 
20, [883; I In man E., February 5, [885; 
Minnie L.. January 4, 1887. Nina Au- 
gusta, June J5, [889; Mable R., September 
5, 1891; and Clarence A., August 16, 
1893, are all at home. One died in in- 
fancy. 

Air. Anderson lias comfortably reared a 
large and intelligent family, who promise 
t> 1 take their places among the representa- 
tive citizens of this great state. In politics 
he is a Democrat, but has always refused 
to In ild office. Kind and charitable and in- 
terested in all religious movements, he has 
libera] ideas and does not hind himself to 
any particular church, believing that true 
religion consists in doing one's full duty. 



ANDREW" A. VINSAND. 

Andrew A. Vinsand, whose farm of one 
hundred and sixteen acres is pleasantly lo- 
cated mi section 3. Badger township, near the 
village of Badger, has spent his entire life in 
Webster county, his birth having occurred 
October i_\ 1870, on the old homestead 
where he now reside-. His father, Andrew 
K. Vinsand, was born in Norway, Decem- 
ber 31. 1 82 1, and there grew tO 1 manhood 
and married, it being the home of the fam- 
ily until after the birth of seven of the chil- 
dren. In 1868 they emigrated to America, 
and after spending one year in Dane county, 
Wisconsin, took up their residence in Web- 
ster county, Iowa, where the father secured 
a tract of government land In the spring 
of 1870 he located thereon, it being the place 
now owned and occupied by his youngest 



sun. Andrew A. 'I'm the work of develop- 
ment and improvement he at once turned his 
attention, and was successfully engaged in 
11- operation until called to his final n 
the 1 1 tli of September, 1 8< j 7 . His wife 
passed awa\ some years previously. The) 
had seven children, four sons and three 
daughters, who are still living. 

During his boyhood and youth Andrew 
A. \ insand pursued his studies in the home 
school and aided in the work O'f the farm. 
After reaching man's estate he rented the 
place fur several years, and when his father 
died he purchased the interest of the Other 
heirs and succeeded to the old homestead 
where his entire life has been passed, lie 
has since enlarged and remodeled the house, 
making a very comfortable home; has built 
a granary, put up a windpump and made 
many other improvements which add 
greatly t«) the value and attractive appear- 
ance of the place. He is now accounted one 
of the successful farmers and stock-raisers 
of Badger township. 

In Trempealeau count}, Wisconsin, in 
March. 1891, was 1 celebrated the marriage 
of Mr. Vinsand and Miss Betsy Kolve, who 
was horn, reared and educated in that state. 
and they have become the parents of four 
children: Elmer, Clara. Laura and Elsie. 
Mr. and Mrs. Vinsand are members of the 
Lutheran church, and he has been a stanch 
Republican since casting his first presiden- 
tial vote for Benjamin Harrison, hut has 
never cared for the honors or emoluments 
of public office, preferring to devote his un- 
divided attention to his business interests. 
For the past seven years he has owned and 
operated a corn sheller in connection with 
his other work, and in this way has added 
not a little to his income. He is a wide- 
awake, energetic business man. and is also 
public-spirited and progressive. 



692 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



M. H. ANDREWS. 

Among the practical and progressive 
farmers of Burnside township is numbered 
M. H. Andrews, whose home is on sec- 
tion 24, where he owns a most desirable 
place of one hundred and sixty acres. He 
was born in Union county, Ohio, near Rich- 
wood, July 12, 1850, a soil: of Hiram and 
Catherine (Schisher) Andrews, both of 
whom were of German lineage and natives 
of the Buckeye state. There they were mar- 
ried and continued to live until 1853. the 
father being engaged in shoemaking and 
the grocery business. On leaving Ohio 
they came to Iowa and he purchased a farm 
of one hundred and sixty acres in Mahaska 
county, but after residing thereon for two 
years they removed to Indianapolis, that 
county, where they made their home for five 
or six years, at the end of which time they 
disposed of the farm. The following four 
years were spent in Springfield, Keokuk 
county, Iowa, and then the father purchased 
another farm near that place, whereon the 
family lived until i860, when the place was 
sold and they came to Webster county, lo- 
cating in Webster township, near Lehigh. 
There the father died in August, [889, and 
the mother in February, 1901. 

In order of birth the children of their 
family were as follows: Mary, deceased, 
was the wife of John W. Dugger, of Sum- 
ner township, this county; Adeline is the 
wife of Allen Dugger, of Webster county; 

Upheus married Sarah L. Carter and lives 
in Nebraska; John, deceased, married Het- 
tie I. Beightol, who is now the wife of 

James McKibben, of Storm Lake, Iowa; 

M. H. is the next of the family; and Anna 

E. is the wife of Robert Aken, of Webster 

City, Iowa" 

During his boyhood and youth M. H. 



Andrews accompanied his parents on their 
various removals and remained at home un- 
til twenty-four years of age, acquiring his 
education in the district schools. He was 
married on the 19th of March, 1874, to 
Miss Lillie Dale, who was born in Clear- 
field count}', Pennsylvania, January 9, 
1854. Her parents, Thomas and Sarah 
Aurelia (Hoyt) Dale, were also natives of 
that state, the former born in Clearfield 
county, where their marriage was cele- 
brated. From Pennsylvania they removed 
to Rock county, Wisconsin, in 1855, but 
three years later returned to the Keystone 
state. The following year, however, we 
find them in Rock count}-, Wisconsin, 
where they made their home until 1863, 
and then removed to Hamilton county, 
Iowa. In 1866 they came to Webster coun- 
ty, locating near Lehigh, where they re- 
sided for many years. The mother died 1 >e- 
cember 8, 1892, at the age of sixty-nine 
years, and the father subsequently married 
Eliza Jane Hoyt and returned to Rock conn 
ty, Wisconsin, where he is now living at 
the age of eighty-two. Mrs. Andrews is 
the fourth in order of birth in a family of 
five children, the others being : George 
M., who married Iowa Payne and both are 
now deceased; Albert, who was scalded by 
falling into a vat while making sorghum 
molasses at the age of eighteen years, and 
died fourteen days later; Sarah, wife of E. 
A. Taylor, of Storm Lake, Iowa; and Em- 
ma, wife of George Post, of Lehigh. Mr. 
and Mrs. Andrews became the parents of 
four children, namely: Thomas H.. born 
December 24, 1874; Clifford, who was 
horn May 27, 1878, and died at the age of 
eight weeks; Walter C. born June 16, 1879; 
and Cecil, who was born August 16, 1886, 
and died April 9, 1889. 

Since his marriage Mr. Andrews has 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



693 



made his home in this county, and has given 
his lime and attention to agricultural pur- 
suits. At one time he owned two hundred 
and eighty acres of land, but has since dis- 
posed of one hundred and twenty acres, be- 
ing still the owner of a tine farm of m 
hundred and sixty acres on section 24, 
Burnside township, besides fifty acres in 
Webster township, to which he has fallen 
heir. Upon his home place he has built a 
good residence, and made many other im- 
provements which add greatly to the value 
and attractive appearance of the farm. Mr. 
Andrews is a thorough and systematic ag- 
riculturist, and i> an upright, honorable 
man, who commands the respect and confi- 
dence of all who know him. 



STEPHEN B. OLNEY, M. D. 

The present generation, enjoying the 
comforts and conveniences of the twentieth 
century, cannot realize and scarcely imagine 
the trials and hardships which were endured 
by the pioneers who made their way west- 
ward, braving the dangers of frontier life. 
Great courage, fortitude and determination 
were necessary ti > meet these, and to the hon- 
ored pioneers a debt of gratitude is due 
which can never lie repaid. To Dr. Olney 
particularly came the difficulties incident to 
living upon the borders of civilization, for 
his professional duties called for long drives 
in all kinds ••( weather. He had to face the 
winters storms and to endure the heat of 
summer, but never did he hesitate to respond 
to a call of duty. For many years he min- 
istered to the sick and suffering, using his 
professional knowledge for the aid of his 
fellow men, and for some years enjoyed a 
well-earned rest amid friends who had for 
him the highest esteem and regard. 



Dr. Olney was born October 13, 1821, 
in Saratoga county. New York, and traced 
his ancestry back through many generations 
to ;m earl_\' period in American hist ry, 
when the Olney famil) was 6 unded in the 
new world. Thomas Olney and his son and 
namesake were partners of Roger Williams 
in the proprietorship of the settlement of 
Rhode Island, and our subject is of the 
eighth generation from Thomas Olney, Sr. 
The Olney settlement in New York i^ also 
on historic grounds, for the homestead upon 
which the Doctor was born was a part of 
the Saratoga battlefield, where the British 
under Burgoyne were overwhelmed by the 
American forces under General Gates. 
Stephen Olney, the grandfather of the Doc- 
tor, was born on the Rhode Island planta- 
tion and thence removed to the Empire 
state. Benjamin Olney, the father of our 
subject, was also a native of Saratoga coun- 
ty. He was united in marriage to Miss 
Elizabeth Berry, who was born in New 
York and represented one of the early Dutch 
families — the Beekman — of that state. She 
died in 1823, when the Doctor was only 
two years of age, he being the only child of 
that marriage, but the father afterward mar- 
ried again and by the second union had sev- 
eral children. In 1833 he removed with his 
family to Wood county, Ohio, and settled 
in the midst of a forest, where Dr. Olney 
for the first time had practical knowdedge 
of the experience^ of frontier life. There 
he was reared to manhood, and at the age of 
eighteen vears he became a student in Miami 
College, then the principal educational in- 
stitution in that part of the state. When 
twenty-one years of age he took up the study 
of medicine under the direction of Dr. Bur- 
ritt, who resided in what is now Grand Rap- 
ids. Ohio, and later he was graduated in the 
regular school of medicine in the Cleveland 



694 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Medical College, with the class of 1847. 
In [865, lmwever, he abandoned that system 
of treating diseases and adopted the sys- 
tem of homeopathy. He became a very suc- 
cessful practitioner of the latter school, his 
broad knowledge and his sympathy making 
him most capable in his effort to minister 
to tlu- needs of suffering humanity. 

For four or five years alter his gradu- 
ation Dr. Olney practiced in Damascus, 
Henry county, and in Waterville, Lucas 
county, Ohio. The year 1X55 witnessed his 
arrival in the Des Moines valley, becoming 
a resident of Fort Dodge on the 1st of April. 
During the succeeding thirty years he trav- 
eled many miles up and down the valley and 
over the bluffs on either side, in the practice 
of his profession. On account of his edu- 
cational qualifications he was made the first 
superintendent of schools in Webster county, 
hut the demands made upon him for his 
professional services would not long permit 
him to remain in that capacity. He also 
served in other public positions, and in every 
office which he was called upon to fill he dis- 
charged his duties with marked fidelity. 

In September, [862, Dr. Olney was sur- 
geon of the Thirty-second [owa Infantry, 
and served in that capacity until January, 
1865. lie was compelled to resign on ac- 
count of his health, hut through almost three 
years he carried aid to the sick and wounded 
soldiers, many of whom praise his memory 
and hold him in the highest esteem. For 
main- years after leaving the army he kept 
the horse which he rode while at the front 
,"d which he purchased in Dubuque in 
[862, retaining him in his possession until 
the animal died in 1883, when twenty-six 
years "Id. 

In 1841) was celebrated the marriage oi 
Dr. Olney and Miss Stella Badger, of Wood 
countv, Ohio, and to them were born five 



children, namely: Floyd B., a practicing 
physician; Edith A.; Charles C; Edward 
B. ; and Mary Elizabeth. 

In 1890 the Doctor removed to Ham- 
monton, New Jersey, and on March 31, 
1891, died from an attack of chronic peri- 
tonitis, due to disease contracted while in 
the service during the Civil war. 

In his political views in earl)- life the 
I li ctor was a Whig, and on the dissolution 
of that party he joined the ranks of the 
new Republican party, which he ever after- 
ward strongly endorsed, believing firmly in 
its principles and policy. Socially he was 
connected with the Masonic Tiler, belong- 
ing to lodge, chapter and commandery, and 
he exemplified in his life its_ beneficial and 
fraternal principles. Judged by wdiat Dr. 
Olney did for his fellow men, he certainly 
occupied a prominent position in public es- 
teem. He was an able physician of Web- 
ster countv and probably no man within its 
boundaries was more widely known or held 
in higher regard or more justly merited the 
universal respect and confidence of those 
among 1 whom he lived so long. 



FLOYD B. OLXEY, M. D. 

Dr. Floyd IS. Olney is one of the suc- 
cessful and capable physicians of Fori 
Dodge and is a representative of one of its 
most honored pioneer families. He was 
horn in Waterville. Ohio, November jo. 
1851, and in 1S55 came to Fort Dodge with 
his parents, a sketch of whom appears above. 
The first school which he ever attended was 
taught by a Mr. Gunn. He pursued his edu- 
cation here and after some years he read 
medicine with his father, determining to 
make its practice his life work. He was for 
a time a student in a seminary in Ohio. He 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



695 



then entered the office of the old Northwest 
Weekly, the predecessor of the Messenger, 
and learned the printer's trade, which lie foi- 
l-wed for six years. In [875, however, he 
entered seriously upon the work of prepar- 
ing for the medical profession as a -indent 
of Hahnemann College of Chicago, where 
he was graduated with the class of 1881. 
In the meantime he had begun medical prac- 
tice with his father in 1879, and since that 
time has been an active representative of the 
profession, enjoying a large and loyal 
patronage. His skill, his comprehensive 
knowledge of the science of medicine and his 
accuracy in applying his learning have all 
contributed to his success, which has for a 
number of years ranked him among the lead- 
ing physicians in Webster county. 

On the 5th of April. 1877. the Doctor 
was united in marriage to Mi-- llattie E. 
Greig. a native of New York, and at that 
time a resident of Fort Dodge. They be- 
came the parents of four children, but Kate 
died in 1899 at the age of nineteen years. 
The living are Anne, Elizabeth and Doris. 

The Doctor is identified with the Im- 
proved Order of Red Men and with several 
other associations. In politics he is a Re- 
publican, and served as pension examiner 
under Presidents Harrison and McKinley. 
He keeps in touch with the advanced 
thought in his profession and his reading 
and research are continually broadening his 
knowledge and making his efforts of greater 
value to his fellow men. 



A. A. PRALL. M. D. 

Among those who devote their time and 
energies to the practice of medicine and have 
gained a leading place in the ranks of the 
profession is Dr. A. A. Prall. of Dayton, 



lie i- a native of Iowa, horn near Kei 
qua, Van Buren county, in July. [860, and is 
a son 1 1 rhomas and Rachel I R ii 
Trail, the former horn in P( l, No- 

vember 11, 1800, the latter in Ohio. 
maternal grandmother, Mrs. Sarah Richard- 
son, was a most intelligent woman, \vl 
early life learned from the Indians the use 
of roots, herbs, harks, etc., as cure- for dis- 
1 1 \ at i' 'ti- kinds, .1- she subsequently 
practiced medicine among her neighb rs, 
who relied more upon her judgment than 
upon that of the regular physicians. In 
March, i860, the parent- of our subject 
came to Iowa and took up their residence in 
Johnson county. After the Civil war broke 
out the father enlisted in September. 1862, 
at Iowa City, in Company G. Twenty-sec- 
ond Iowa Volunteer Infantry. 

Dr. Prall is the oldest in a family of six 
sons, the others being as follows: Nathan 
C. married a Miss Miller and makes his 
home in Warren county. Iowa; Ellsworth, 
a resident of Mason City, Iowa, has been 
twice married : Charles is married and re- 
sides in Warren county: George Franklin 
married a Miss Randalman and lives in Des 
Moines: and James is married and make- his 
home in Warren county. 

The Doctor was educated for his pro- 
fession at a medical college, Chicago, where 
he also took a post-graduate course. For 
a time he was a member of the staff of St. 
Luke's Hospital at Niles, Michigan, where 
he added to his theoretical knowledge by 
practical experience in the treatment of dis- 
eases. He then came to Dayton, Iowa, and 
has since successfully engaged in practice at 
this place. 

Dr. Prall was united in marriage with 
Miss Delia E. Bufkin. a daughter of L. H. 
and Sarah 1 Kenworthy) Bufkin. The 
Doctor is a member of the National and 



696 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Iowa State Eclectic Medical Associations, 
and 1 is examining surgeon for a great many 
insurance companies and fraternal organiza- 
tions, including the Independent Order of 
I iild Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the 
Modern Woodmen of America and the 
American Yeomen, to which he belongs. For 
two years he served as county physician of 
Boone county, Iowa, and for the past three 
years has been county physician for three 
townships in Webster county. He is a pro- 
gressive member of his profession, and his 
skill and ability are attested by the liberal 
patronage he enjoys. 



ANDREW JOHXSOX. 

With the agricultural interests of Yell 
township Andrew Johnson has been closely 
identified for many years, and now owns 
and operates a well-improved farm of three 
hundred and twenty acres on section 32. 
He was born in Sweden, November 29, 
1857, and was fourteen years old when 
brought to this country by his parents, J. A. 
and Christine Johnson, who were also na- 
tives of Sweden and emigrated to the United 
States in 1871. After spending ten years as 
a laborer in Elgin, Illinois, the father came 
tn Webster county, Iowa, in 1885, and now 
makes his home with our subject on a farm 
near Dayton. He has two other sons: 
John, who married Christina Swanson and 
lives in Elgin, Illinois; and Frank, who mar- 
ried Emma Peterson and resides in Emmet 
count). Iowa. 

Mr. Johnson, of this review, was reared 
and educated in Illinois, and came to Iowa 
in 1885. Believing Webster county to be 
a favorable location, he settled in Veil town- 
ship, where he now has a tine farm under a 



high state of cultivation and well improved. 
In connection with general farming he car- 
ries on stock-raising, making a specialty of 
Hereford cattle. 

In 1879 our subject was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Ida Johnson, a native of 
Sweden and a daughter of J. J. and Helena 
Johnson. She has six brothers and sisters, 
namely : Conrad, who first married Jennie 
Gustafson, now deceased, and second Mrs. 
Hanna Nelson, and is now conducting a 
meat market in Dayton; Charles O., who 
first married Emma Peterson, now de- 
ceased, and second Edith Peterson, and lives 
in Elgin, Illinois; Peter, who is single and 
lives in this county ; Axel, who married 
Lina Anderson and follows farming in 
Webster county, Iowa; and Jennie and 
Hilda, twins, the former of whom lives with 
our subject, and the latter with her father 
in Dayton, Our subject and his wife have 
three children : Warren, Tollie and Al- 
thead, all at home with their parents. The 
family hold membership in the Swedish 
Evangelical Lutheran church of Dayton, and 
are people of prominence in the community 
where they reside. 



JOHN L. HEDLUND. 

There was probably no more energetic 
or enterprising business man in Dayton, 
Iowa, than John L. Hedlund, now deceased. 
He was born in Jemptland, Sweden, on the 
17th of March, 1837. His parents were 
poor and his early advantages were few. At 
the age of twenty \ears he came with his 
parents to this country and settled in Web- 
ster county, Iowa. 

Subsequently Mr. Hedlund went to 
Bishop Hill, Henry count}-, Illinois, where 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



697 



he remained until the death of his step- 
father, when he returned to Webster county, 
Iowa, to care for the family, he being the 
oldest of the seven children. His mother 
was a cripple and one sister was a helpless 
invalid. He became the head of the family 
at the death of his step-father, and although 
the charge was a heavy one, the task was 
cheerfully undertaken, and loyally did he 
care for those depending upon him when 
most young men would' have been looking 
ahead to their own interests. 

On the 8th of July. 1867, Mr. Hedlund 
married Miss Christina Schill, of Boone 
county, Iowa, who was born in Sweden, Oc- 
tober 1, 1846, and was sixteen years of age 
when she came to the United States with her 
parents and three brothers, the latter being 
Charles, who married Elizabeth Cannon 
and lives in Dayton ; Frank, who married 
Caroline Johnson and resides in Harcourt ; 
and Gus, who married Ida Hall and makes 
his home in Fort Dodge. 

Of the eleven children, born to Mr. and 
Airs. Hedlund six are living, namely: 
Franklin, who wedded Mary Harper, of 
Fort Dodge, and with his family, consisting 
of wife and three children, resides in Day- 
ton; Melvin, who married Selma Olson and 
lives on a farm east of Dayton; Charles, at 
home with his widowed mother; Maude, 
who was married May 29, 1901, to Ben 
Lundquist, of Dayton; and Myrtle and Lo- 
rena, both at home. 

Mr. Hedlund carried on farming with 
marked success until August. 1892, when he 
removed to Dayton, and there made his 
home until called to his final rest on the 16th 
of April, 1894. He was engaged in buying 
and shipping stuck in partnership with 
Charles Lundblad, and' in that undertaking 
he also prospered, being able to- leave his 
family in comfortable circumstances. Soci- 



ally he was a member of Oak Lodge, No. 
531, A. F. & A. M., and politically was 
identified with the Republican party. He 
filled the office of assessor for many years, 
and also served as township trustee. His 
course in life was ever such as to gain for 
him the commendation of all with whom he 
was brought in contact, and in his death the 
community realized that it had lost a valued 
and useful citizen — one devoted to the pub- 
lic good. 

Besides her pleasant home in Dayton, 
Mrs. Hedlund owns a fine farm of two hun- 
dred acres in this county, and in the man- 
agement of her affairs has displayed excel- 
lent business and executive ability. She 
sold thirty acres of timber land adjoining 
the town of Dayton for a park. She is a 
most estimable lady who makes many 
friends and is held in high regard by all 
who know her. 



JAMES TOOHEY. 

Prominent among the developers of the 
town of Duncombe may be mentioned 
James Toohey, who was born near Lucau, 
Ontario, Canada, October n, 1855, a ^" n 
of Timothy and Mary (Reder) Toohey, 
who were horn in Ireland and still live in 
Canada. Into the family has been born the 
following children: Bridget, who is the 
wife of Dennis McGee; Martha, who 
sister in St. Joseph's Hospital at Chatham, 
Ontario; James; Julia, who is the wife of 
Michael O'Mara, of Ontario; Margretta, 
who is the wife of John Carroll, of Ontario; 
Hugh, who married Kate Duff and lives in 
Manitoba; Dennis, who married Anna Car- 
roll and lives in Ontario; and ( Mrnelms, who 
married Bridget Harry and also lives in On- 
tarii '. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Until his twenty-sixth year Jerries 
Toohey worked on his father's Canadian 
farm, and his education was equal to that of 
the average country reared boy. Upon leav- 
ing his northern home he located in Michi- 
gan and for three or four years worked in 
the pineries, after which he went to Storm 
Lake, Iowa, and rented a farm for three 
years. During this time he married Julia 
Gallery, who was born in New York state 
and came to Fort Dodge, Iowa, with her 
parents, who were of Irish birth. After his 
marriage Mr. Toohey lived in Fort Dodge 
and engaged in daily labor for a couple of 
years, locating then in Duncombe, where he 
started his present successful business. 

For a time his home was made desolate 
on account of the tragic death of his wife, 
who. owing to a burn received while attend- 
ing to her household ditties, which proved to 
be beyond all human aid, died Janu- 
ary 3. [895. On September <>, 1896, Mr. 
Toohey married \'<>ra Lonergan, who was 
born January 21, 1868, in County Tippe- 
raiv. Ireland, a daughter of Patrick and 
Alice (Casey) Lonergan, farming people of 
that country. Thirteen children were born 
into the Lonergan family, eight of whom 
survive: Margretta, who lives in Austra- 
lia; Kate, who is the wife of John Ryan, oi 
Ireland; Johanna, who is the wife of Pat 
Beary, also of Australia; Alice, who is the 
wife of Richard Hackett, of Australia; 
Bridget, who is the wife of John Condon, of 
Ireland; Nicholas, who lives 111 Australia; 
and John, who married Ellen Kirby and lives 
in Ireland. Mrs. Toohey came to America 
in 1878, and located in Duncombe, Iowa, 
where she had relatives living. Afterward 
she engaged in general house work in Fort 
Dodge, and for three years was housekeeper 
for Father O'Brien up to the time of her 
marriage. For four years she lived in Que- 



bec, Canada. Two children have been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Toohey: Thomas, born 
August 23. 1897 ; and Mary J., born October 
12, 1899. 

Mr. Toohey is among the progressive 
and influential citizens of Duncombe, and 
Ins assistance may be always counted on to 
further any wise scheme for improvement. 
He has erected a fine home in the town, and 
his interests also extend to the country, 
where, in Washington township, he owns 
eighty acres of fine land. He is a Democrat 
in political affiliation, and is fraternally as- 
sociated with the Foresters. 



LEE VINTON SMITH. 

One of the best known and most highly 
respected citizens of Sumner township is Lee 
Vinton Smith, who was born on the 18th 
of July. 1S35, in Tioga county, Pennsyl- 
vania, of which state his father was also 
a native, while his mother was bom in Ot- 
sego county, New Yonk. The father labored 
long and earnestly in the ministry, being at 
first connected with the Baptist church and 
later with the Universalist denomination, 
and he accomplished much good in the 
world. Fie carried his ministrations into 
Wisconsin and Minnesota, and finally came 
to Webster county, Iowa, about the close of 
the Civil war. Locating on a farm near 
Lehigh, he engaged in agricultural pursuits 
in connection with his ministerial labors 
throughout the remainder of his life. He 
died on the 7th of October, 1894, honored 
and respected by all who knew him, and his 
wife passed away in November of the same 
year. The}' were the parents of six chil- 
dren, four sons and two daughters, of whom 
Lee Vinton is the eldest, the others being 




MR. L. V. SMITH 




MRS. L. V. SMITH 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



701 



Martha J., who died in Utah; Harvey, who 
died in Fort Dodge, [owa; Silas V., a resi- 
dent of Lehigh; Aaron, deceased; and 
Laura,, wife of John Buck, who lives near 
Lehigh. 

While attending the public schools near 
his boyhood In une Mr. Smith was variously 
employed, and his life was rather uneventful 
until the breaking nut of the Civil war cre- 
ated a need for his services. At Detroit, 
Michigan, August 8, 1861. he enlisted in 
Company F, Fifth Michigan Volunteer In- 
fantry, which was assigned to the Army of 
the Potomac under the immediate command 
of General McClellan. Owing to physical 
disability brought on by the exposure ami 
vicissitude of armv life he was incapacitated 
fi >r active service and was mustered out on 
the roth of November, 1862. For almost 
two years after his return home he was ill, 
and then went to Minnesota, hoping much 
from an all around change of climate and 
occupation. At the end of two years he re- 
turned tn Iowa, and has since made his 
home in Webster county. His first pur- 
chase of land consisted of eighty acres in 
Sumner township, which he later traded for 
the forty-acre tract on which he now lives. 
His present place is pleasantly located on 
section 12. is highly cultivated and well im- 
proved, the buildings being of a good sub- 
stantial character. In connection with gen- 
eral fanning Mr. Smith is engaged in stock 
raising quite extensively, and is meeting with 
g 1 success in his undertakings. 

On the 5th of August, 1873, was cele- 
brated his marriage to Mrs. Arathusa Price. 
nee Summers, who was a native of Cascade, 
Iowa, and the widow of M. D. P'rice. She 
had two brothers and two sisters, and at 
the time of her death, which occurred May 
28. 1895, she left two children by her for- 
mer marriage: 1). J. Price, who married 



Phoebe Frey and lives in Cla) township, this 
count}-; and Clara, who married John Q. 
Beam, hut is now deceased. 

In his political affiliations Mr. Smith is 
a Republican, and at an earl\ da; 
register of deeds in Minnesota. Religiously 
he is an earnest and consistent memtx 
the Methodist Episcopal church, and fra- 
ternally is connected with the Grand Army 
of the Republic and the Independent ( Irder 
of Good Templars. He is one of the old 
and honored citizens of his community, hav- 
ing been an eye witness of almost the entire 
development and upbuilding of the county, 
and in the work of progress he has been an 
important factor. He has aided in trans- 
forming the wild land into highly cultivated 
fields, and has done all in his power to pro- 
mote the interests of the community in which 
he resides. His career in life has ever been 
such as to command for him the respect and 
confidence of all with whom he has been 
brought in contact, and there is probably no 
man in the community held in higher regard 
than Lee Vinton Smith. 

life's journey. 

Always we journey to the tomb. 

When the skies are wintry, or when the 

flowers bloom. 
Sooner or later life's journey is o'er, 
For us the seasons come no more. 

There are varied experiences along the way, 
Sunshine alternates with storm}' day, 
Hastening to that bourne, 
From whence no traveler doth return. 

I -ife has its trials, its teal's. 
Mingled with the passing years, 
Till the dark-winged angel's call. 
And we before the reaper death fall. 



702 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Jesus, our help divine, and guide, 
Saving all who will in Thee confide, 
Receptive of Thy love, uplifted by Thy 

grace, 
In the new Jerusalem may we have place. 



JOHN L. HAMILTON. 

John L. Hamilton, of Lehigh, Iowa, is 
one of the most prominent factors in the 
business circles of that thriving little town, 
and is a man whose worth and ability have 
gained him success, honor and public con- 
fidence. He enjoys the well-earned dis- 
tinction of being what the public terms a 
self-made man, and an analyzation of his 
character reveals the fact that enterprise, 
well-directed effort and honorable dealing 
have been the essential features in his pros- 
perity. 

Mr. Hamilton was born on the 3d of 
October, 1848, in Lanarkshire, Scotland, of 
which country his parents, James and Jo^ 
lianna Hamilton, were life-long residents. 
The father, who was a miner by occupation, 
died in 1869, and the mother passed away 
in 1847. In their family were eight chil- 
dren, five sons and three daughters, five of 
whom are still living, namely : Robert, a 
resident of Webster. Pennsylvania; John L., 
of this review; James, a farmer of Webster 
county, Iowa ; Thomas, a resident of Alle- 
gheny county, Pennsylvania; and Mrs. John 
( !aster, also a resident of that county. 

The subject of this sketch was reared 
and educated in his native land, but left 
-1I1. ol at the age of eight years and com- 
menced mining, which occupation he fol- 
lowed for forty years. In 1868 he crossed 
the broad Atlantic and landed in Montreal, 
Canada, whence lie proceeded to Pittsburg, 



Pennsylvania, where he made his home un- 
til 1875. 

In the meantime Mr. Hamilton was 
married. May 2, 1872. to Miss Mary Jane 
Gillingham, who was born in the Keystone 
state, June 30, 1840, a daughter of George 
and Jane 1 Gibson) Gillingham, also natives 
of Pennsylvania, where the father died in 
1897, the mother in February, 1899. They 
had four children, two sons and two daugh- 
ters, namely : William, a resident of Wash- 
ington county, Pennsylvania; Lyle, wife of 
George Jenkins, of Pennsylvania ; Hugh, 
who was killed in the mines of that state, 
at the age of thirty-three years ; and Mary 
Jane, wife of our subject. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton have become the 
parents of six children : James, born April 
19, 1873, is now serving as first corporal in 
the Twenty-sixth United States Infantry in 
the Philippines ; Lizzie Jane, born November 
13, 1874, is the wife of F. A. Avers, who is 
agent for the Crooked Creek Railway and 
Coal Company at Lehigh ; Anna, born April 
28, 1875, was formerly a teacher in the Le- 
high schools; and Mildred, born October 
22, 1877, George, born October 13, 1879, 
and Lyle, born August 25, 1883. are all at 
home. 

On leaving Pittsburg, Mr. Hamilton and 
his family removed to Coalville, Webster 
county, Iowa, where the)' spent four years, 
and then came to Lehigh, where he engaged 
in mining for some years. In 1885 he was 
made superintendent of the Crooked Creek 
Mining Company, and held that responsible 
position for six years, after which he was 
superintendent of the mines for the Crovs & 
Rogers Mining Company at Boonesboro un- 
til 1895, when he returned to Lehigh and 
embarked in the lumber business. He now 
deal- in all kinds of building material and 
agricultural implements, and is president of 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



703 



the Lehigh Valley Savings Bank, which he 
organized July I, 1901, and which now has 
a surplus. The other officers of the bank 
are C. M. Trumbar, cashier, and W. C. 
Beeni, vice-president and director. Mr. 
Hamilton owns a good home in Lehigh, be- 
sides some business houses on Main street, 
and some lots in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. 
In business affairs he has steadily prospered 
during his residence here, and is to-day 
quite well-to-do. His life record is one well 
worth) - of emulation and contains many val- 
uable lessons of incentive, showing the pos- 
sibilities that are open to young men who 
wish to improve every opportunity for ad- 
vancement. 

Mr. Hamilton is a member of the Chris- 
tian church, and also affiliates with the In- 
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, the 
Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of 
the World. In political sentiment he is a 
Republican, and has served on the school 
board and city council, being a member of 
the first council of Lehigh. He is a recog- 
nized leader in public affairs and always 
uses his influence to ; promote the best inter- 
ests of the town. 



A. W. SCOTT. 



( >ne of the most thrifty and .successful 
agriculturists of Cowrie township is A. W. 
Sci 1 1 . who 1 1\\ lis and operates a fine farm of 
two hundred and eighty acres on sections 
26 and 27. He dates his residence in Iowa 
from 1855. and has made his home in Web- 
ster county since 1879. He was born on the 
28th 1 i < Ictober, 1846, in Clermont county, 
< Hin'. and i> a son 'if Elias Scott, a native of 
North Carolina, born in 1804. On reach- 
ing' manhood the father went to Ohio in 



[825, and settled in Clermont county, where 
he married Miss Sarah Hall, who was born 
in Cincinnati. Mr. Scott continued to reside 
in that county for some years, being engaged 
in fruit growing, and there all his children 
were born. He next made his home in 
Marion county, Indiana, fur five years, and 
in 1855 removed to Jones county, Iowa, 
where he conducted a wayside inn for seven 
years. Going to Linn county, in 1861, he 
located on a farm near Central City, and 
devoted the remainder of his life to agri- 
culture. There he died in 1889, having sur- 
vived his wife about two years, her death 
having occurred in 1887. 

A. W. Scott was a lad of nine years 
when he accompanied his parents on their 
removal to Iowa, and was reared in Jones 
and Linn counties, his education being ob- 
tained in country schools. On the 14th of 
March, 1876, he was married in Johnson 
county, Iowa, to Miss Jennie Graham, a na- 
tive of that country and a daughter of 
Thomas Graham, one of its early settlers, 
who was formerly from Maryland. By this 
union were born three children, namely : 
Maud, who is now the wife of Mason Ellis, 
of Gowrie, and has one son, Walter Scott; 
and Graham and Ellen, both at home. 

After his marriage Mr. Scott followed 
farming in Linn county for a time, raising 
four crops, and in October, 1879, removed 
to Webster county, purchasing eight}- acres 
of land in Gowrie township, which he at 
once commenced to break and improve. As 
he prospered in his farming operations he 
added to his farm from time to time until 
he now lias two hundred and eighty acres, 
which he has placed under a high state of 
cultivation, and on which he has erected a 
good residence and substantial outbuildings. 
He has also set out shade and fruit trees and 
made many other improvements which add 



704 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



i beauty of the place. He raises a good 
grade of stock, and is considered one of the 
most skillful farmers of his locality. Al- 
though he started out in life for himself in 
limited circumstances, he has steadily over- 
come the ohstacles in the path to success and 
is now quite well-ti -di . 

Since casting his first presidential vote 
for Abraham Lincoln in 1865, Air. Scott has 
never wavered in his allegiance to the Re- 
publican party, and has taken quite an act- 
ive interest in local politics. lie has been a 
delegate to county and state conventions; 
has served as tow nship trustee several term- ; 
and was once elected justice of the peace, but 
refused to qualify. As a member of the 
School board for several years, he did much 
to promote the educational interest- of bis 
township by securing better schools and 
more competent teachers. Both Mr. and 
Mrs. Scott are earnest and consistent mem- 
bers of the Congregational church of Gow- 
rie. and he is now serving as one of its 
deacons. Wherever known they are held in 
high regard, and the fact that those who 
know them best are numbered among their 
warmest friends is evidence of their noble 
b\ es. 



TOHX BURNS. 



To such native sons as John Burns 
Webster county looks for its most intelli- 
gent development and its highest citizenship. 
Although cme of the younger generation of 
agriculturists, having been born in Pleasant 
Valley township, June 1, 1868, he represents 
the teeming vitality of a region of vast pos- 
sibility, of which fact no one is more thor- 
oughly conscious. His parents, John and 
Mary i Condon ) Burns, are natives re- 
spectively of County Mayo and Count} r Tip- 



perary. Ireland, and have led lives broader 
than the average farmer and his helpmate. 
The father came to America when but 
eleven years of age, Ireland having lost its 
greatest interest for him because of the death 
of his parents. He settled in Philadelphia 
and became stabile boss for a large livery 
and stage firm, in win >se employ he remained 
for about four years. The following four 
years were spent in similar capacities in and 
near the Quaker city, after which he re- 
moved to Dubuque, Iowa, and later to Des 
Moines, eventually finding his way to Fort 
Dodge. Here he became interested in the 
team freighting business, and hauled the first 
load of goods taken from Iowa City to Fort 
Dodge. While in the freighting business 
he heard a great deal about the chances 
awaiting the venturesome in the gold fields 
on the Pacific coast, and in 1858 he started 
out to make his way thither, accompanied 
by two families who owned between them 
two yoke of oxen and one wagon. The 
vicissitudes of primitive travel seemed to de- 
velop inharmonious tendencies among the 
tourists, the upshot of which was that they 
decided to separate, and in order to divide 
equally they sawed the wagon in two, each 
fiction appropriating two wheels and a 
y ike of oxen. This riff* in the lute proved 
more serious for Mr. Burns than for the 
rest, for he was thus thrown upon his own 
resources, and for the remainder of the way 
to the Golden West was obliged to walk. 
Nevertheless he reached his destination in 
due season and met with fair success, so that 
lie continued to engage in mining for about 
four years, and during that time owned two 
claims. About the time the Civil war broke 
out he returned to Fort Dodge and engaged 
in freighting for Uncle Sam. hauling mu- 
nitions of war from Fort Leavenworth to 
Kansas City, Missouri. At a later period he 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



705 



saw active service at the front, and contin- 
ued in the employ of the government until 
the close of the war. 

With the return of peace Mr. Burns 
again settled in Fort Dodge and continued 
his freighting business, and at the end of a 
year went to New Orleans, where he re- 
mained for a shorl time, going then to St. 
Louis, which also proved an unprofitable 
place to live in. A short time afterward 
lie went to Natchez, Mississippi, where he 
engaged in ditching, and remained thn nigh 
the winter, returning in the spring t < ► his 
former In -me in Fort Dodge. In the vi- 
cinity of the town he purchased a farm and 
then worked for George Creelv, in the 
suburbs. The following winter he put 
in his time at Xatchez at his occupa- 
tion of ditching. In the spring he was mar- 
ried at Fort Dodge, and then began farm- 
ing for himself on one hundred and sixty 
acres of land in Pleasant Valley township, 
Webster county. He was most successful 
as a farmer and stock-raiser, and was par- 
ticularly interested in the latter occupation, 
-.> that he eventually came to own a whole 
section of land. Rich in experience and the 
material things of life, he retired from busi- 
ness in 1892, and has since lived in a pleas- 
ant home purchased at Fort Dodge, and is 
resting on the laurels of a life well spent and 
admirably planned. He has invariably taken 
an active interest in public affairs, and al- 
though a stanch Democrat, has preferred the 
quiet life of the farmer to the uncertain 
strife of political competition. He is a mem- 
ber 'if the Catholic church. 

John Burns, Jr., the only child of our 
subject, enjoyed all the advantages which 
surround the well-to-do farmer'-' sons. He 
attended the public schools until his four- 
teenth year, and later profited by individual 
research and intelligent observation. From 



earliest boyhood he was his father',-, most 
trusted assistant and reliable helper, and he 
learned to be a model farmer and an excel 
lent judge of fine stock. On August 25, 
1890, at Eagle Grove, Iowa, he married 
Evelyn A. Hannon, the ceremony being per- 
formed b\ Rev. Father Garland, at St. 
Mary's Catholic church. Airs. Burns was 
born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, July 13, [869, 
a daughter of Peter and Anna | Lynch ) 
Hannon, natives of Kenosha county, Wis- 
consin. The parents were married in that 
state, where the mother died, and in iS-S 
the father removed to Webster county, 
Iowa, and lived mi his farm in Wa 
ton township. Here he married Margaret 
Murphy, and died July 7. [894. His 
widow has since become the wife of John 
Kclley. who lives seven miles north of Dun- 
combe. In politics Mr. Hannon was a 
Democrat, and he held a number of import- 
ant offices, being supervisor of Webster 
county for two terms. In religious faith he 
was a Catholic. By his first marriage he had 
five children, three of whom are still living : 
Evelyn A., now Mrs. Burns; Lucy, wife of 
Henry Kelly, of this count}-; and Grace, 
wife of Alfred David, who lives on a farm 
near Coalville, Iowa. Of the second union 
there are two children living : Geneveive 
and Wilfred, both at home. The children 
born to Mr. and Mrs. John Burns, Jr., are 
Francis E., born May 2, 1891 : Mary, who 
was born October 18, 1892, and died No- 
vember _'_'. [895; Anne, born January 20. 
1894; John, born August 3. 1895; Evelyn 
Rose, who was born February 3, [895, and 
died February 1, [902; Mary, who was born 

October 14, 1898. and died June 1, 1 

and Bertha Agnes, horn June 1, 1901. 
After his marriage John Burns, Jr. 
tied on the farm which he now owns on sec- 
tion 2, Pleasant Valley township, and which 



706 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



consists of two hundred and forty acres of 
splendidly improved land. He has just 
completed one of the finest rural homes in 
the county, and his barns, granaries, cattle 
sheds and general appointments are in ac- 
cord with the most advanced and scientific 
farming and cattle-raising. He has a fine 
herd of short-horn cattle and a drove of 
sheep, and raises in large numbers Berkshire 
hogs and Percheron horses. He is ac- 
counted one of the finest judges of live stock 
in the county, an ability inherited from his 
father and fostered by long experience while 
under the parental guidance. He is intelli- 
gently alive to the best demands of the citi- 
zen and farmer, and appreciates the fact that 
as the farmer wills and accomplishes so the 
country prospers or languishes. He there- 
fore keeps in touch with all advancement in 
machinery and method, and has one of the 
most complete and remunerative farms for 
many miles around. Although a Democrat, 
Mr. Burns, like his father before him, de- 
votes the greater part of his time to his 
home interests, and has never entered the 
arena of political striving. He is a member 
of the Catholic church, and is fraternally as- 
sociated with the Order of Foresters and the 
Yeomen. 



C. D. WATERBURY. 

I 
Prominent among the capable financiers 
and successful business men of Webster 
county is numbered C. D. Waterbury, the 
well-known cashier of the First National 
Bank of Dayton. A native of Illinois, he 
was born in Ogle county, October 12, 1855, 
and is a son of John and Electa (Mallory) 
Waterbury, the former born in Andes, Del- 
aware county, New York, and the latter in 



Sullivan county, that state. The family 
dates their residence in 1 America back to 
1646, when Samuel Waterbury came to this 
country on one of the trips made by the May- 
flower and settled in Stamford, Connecti- 
cut. There he lived and died, as did also the 
next generation of the family. Later some 
of his descendants removed to Nassau coun- 
ty, New York, and our subject's great- 
grandfather was born in the town of Andes, 
Delaware county, that state, which was also 
the birthplace of his grandfather. John 
Waterbury, who was one of a family of nine 
children. In 1836 the latter removed to 
Illinois, making the trip with ox teams, and 
entered a large tract of government land in 
Ogle county, so arranging it that each of 
his ten children received one hundred and 
sixty acres. He was one of the earliest set- 
tlers of that county and continued to make 
his home there throughout the remainder 
of his life. Of his ten children only one is 
now living — Mrs. Mary B. Cushman, who 
has reached the advanced age of eighty-four 
years. She is the widow of Charles Cush- 
man and a resident of Polo, Illinois. 

Shortly after their marriage the parents 
of our subject left New York and removed 
to Ogle county, Illinois, where the father 
purchased land and engaged in farming 
quite successfully upon one hundred and 
sixty acres until his death, which occurred 
September 19, 1871. During the dark days 
of the Civil war he served one year as a 
member of the Seventh Illinois Volunteer 
Cavalry, and was subsequently a member of 
the Grand Army of the Republic. He also 
belonged to the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows and the Presbyterian church. In 
politics he was a Republican. In 1891 his 
widow became the wife of Arah Leonard, 
and now resides in Davton, Iowa. Bv her 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



707 



first marriage she had four children : Fred 
M., who married Ella Healy, of Ogle coun- 
ty, Illinois, and died in 1881. while his wid- 
ow now resides on a farm in her native 
county: one who died in infancy; C. D., of 
this review; and Harriet, who died at the 
age 1 >f sixteen years. 

C. D. Waterbury began his education in 
the district schools near his boyhood home 
in Ogle county, and later attended the high 
I of Polo, Illinois, where he was grad- 
uated in the class of 1876. The following 
three years were spent in California, he be- 
ing engaged in teaching school in Yolo and 
Sacramento counties. On his return to 
Polo, Illinois, he studied law in the office of 
Judge J. D. Campbell for two years, and 
then came to Webster county. Iowa, where 
he was admitted to the bar in 1881. He has 
since, however, given his attention principal- 
ly to the banking business, establishing what 
was then known as the Bank of Dayton, 
which in October, 1866, was re-organized 
under the name of the State Bank, and in 
April, 1900, the name was again changed 
to the First National Bank of Dayton. It 
is one of the solid financial institutions of 
the county and does a successful general 
banking business. Mr. Waterbury is widely 
known as a man whose word is as good as 
his bond, and although a comparatively 
young man his advice was eagerly sought 
on matters . if finance by men of m< >re mature 
years. 

On the nth of March, 1880. Mr. Water- 
bury was married in Knox county, Illinois, 
to Mi<> E. Frances Le Valley, who was born 
in that county in 1859. a daughter of George 
C. and E. Jane 1 dames) Le Valley. She 
died in April. 1895. and was laid to rest in 
Dayton cemetery. By that union two chil- 
dren were born: Mabel and Jessie. 

Mr. Waterbury is a prominent Mason, 



belonging t<> Oak Lodge. No. 531. A. F. 
& A. M.. of Dayton; Delta Chapter. No. 
51. R. A. M. ; Calvary Commandery, X". 
24, K. T. : and Za-ga-zig Temple. A. A. 
O. N. M. S. For three years he served as 
mayor of Dayton, and is now a member of 
the school board. He has had little time, 
however, to devote to public affairs, as his 
extensive business interests claim the greater 
part of his attention. In addition to his 
banking business he is a member of the Cole 
Drug Company of Dayton, and is secretary 
of the Dayton Investment Company. He 
owns considerable farming propertv in other 
states, especially in Minnesota, and is to-day 
one of the most substantial men, as well as 
one of the most reliable and highly respected 
citizens of his community. Mr. Waterbury 
is a trustee of the Grace Methodist Episco- 
pal church of Dayton, and is a stanch Re- 
publican in politics. 



C. E. ERICKSOX. 



The future of Hardin township rests 
securely in the hands of such promising and 
industrious young farmers as C. E. Erick- 
son, who is the owner of a well-improved 
farm of eighty acres, upon which he carries 
on general farming and stock-raising. He 
comes honestly by his ability to successfully 
till his land, for his parents, wdio were born 
in Sweden, and emigrated to America in 
1850, have been farmers for their entire act- 
ive lives, and are now living on a farm of 
one hundred and eighty acres in Hamilton 
county. Iowa. Upon this parental farm C. E. 
Erickson was born, August 15. 1870. and is 
the second oldest in a family of ten children. 
The others are Frank, who is living at 
home: Will, who is a harness maker at 



70S 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Nevada. Iowa; Selma, who is the wife of 
Victor Peterson, of Boone county, Iowa; 
Louise, who is living at home; Eric; Oscar; 
Abbie ; Julia ; and James. 

C. E. Erickson was educated in the pub- 
lic schools, and lived on the home farm until 
his marriage, in Boone county, September 
4. 1 Si 14, tn Ada Lurena Johnson, the only 
child of parents born in Sweden. Her 
mother is now deceased, while the father is 
living in Stratford, Iowa. Three children 
have been burn to Air. and Mrs. Erickson: 
Lillie, born December 14. 1895; George, 
August _'. [897; and Nellie J.. April 14, 
1898. 

Mr. Erickson is already attaining to 
prominence in township affairs, and his 
judgment and assistance are in accord with 
the best government and greatest progress. 
He is a Republican in national politics, but 
believes that the man best qualified for pub- 
lic trust should hold office regardless of his 
political affiliation. As an evidence of the 
esteem and confidence which he has in- 
spired among his fellow townsmen it is only 
necessary to state that he has been township 
clerk for four years, and is also justice of 
the peace. He is a practical and thorough 
farmer, and has the faculty of making and 
keeping friends. 



JAMES L. FINDLAY. 

Among ( Itho township's most progress- 
ive and enterprising citizens is numbered 
James L. Findlay, who is now successfully 
engaged in farming and stock-raising on 
section 29. He was born on the 5th of Au- 
gust, [865, in Lee county, Illinois, a son of 
James A. Findlay. His paternal grand- 
father also In re the name of lames. The 



father was born in Grand Isle county, Ver- 
mont, in 1828, and there grew to manhood. 
On leaving his native state he removed to 
Illinois, and made his home there until com- 
ing tn lnwa in the spring of 1871. He first 
sailed in Clay county, but in July. 1877, he 
came to Webster county and located on sec- 
t n >n 29, ( >tho township, where he purchased 
one hundred and sixty acres of land from 
the Wells estate. To the cultivation and 
improvement of this farm he devoted his 
time and energies for many years, convert- 
ing it into one of the most desirable places 
of its size in that locality. The present com 
modious residence was erected in iNSj. 
Since locating here Mr. Findlay has been 
thoroughly identified with the growth and 
development of his township, and is num- 
bered among in most useful and valued citi- 
zens. His political support is always given 
the men and measures of the Republican 
party. On the 27th of October. 1863, he 
was united in marriage to Miss Olive Good- 
year, who was horn in Geauga county. ( Ihio, 
in 1843. Her parents were natives of < Ihio 
and early settlers of Geauga county, Ohio, 
but spent their last days in Illinois. Unto 
Mr. and Mrs. Findlay were born three si ns, 
George F., Charles V. and James L. all 
born in the Prairie state. Charles V. is now 
one of the managers of Tobin Business Col- 
lege at Fort Dodge. In the family there is 
also an adopted daughter. Lib V. 

The early education of our subject was 
acquired in the district schools near his boy- 
hood home, and for one term he was a stu- 
dent at Highland Park Normal School at 
Des Moines. He remained under the parental 
roof working with his father upon the farm 
until his marriage, when he removed to his 
present place, where he owns eighty acres 
of well-iniproved and highly cultivated land. 
In addition to this he also operates his fa- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



709 



ther's farm and gives considerable attention 
to stock-raising, feeding cattle which he 
ships to the Chicago market, and breeding 
Jersey hogs. lie also owns an interest in a 
Percheron Norman stallion. "Printemps," 
43,992 and 24,262. 

Mr. Findlay was married, November 
28, 1895, to Miss Harriet Gertrude Fawkes, 
who was born in Franklin county, Iowa, 
July 20, 1870. Her mother, who was a na- 
tive of Indiana, died in 1884, at the age of 
thirty-six years, at which time the family 
were living in Dubuque county, Iowa. Her 
father was born in England and was again 
married in 1891, his second union being with 
Miss Maggie Martin. He now lives on 
section 20, Otho township, and is pastor of 
the Congregational church at Kalo. By his 
first marriage he had eight children, namely : 
Frank H., who married Ollie Staley and 
lives in Chicago; Harriet Gertrude, wife of 
our subject; Edith Spensley, a resident of 
Dubuque; Otis Vincent, who died in infan- 
cy; Clermont Watson; Nora Maria; Sarah 
Rebecca, who is now engaged in school 
teaching; and Ernest Winfred. Mr. and 
Mrs. Findlay have two children: Myrtle 
Olive, born September 17, 1897; and James 
Francis, bum March 19, 1898. With the 
family resides our subject's cousin, Lloyd 
Davis, who has made his home with them for 
some years. 

Mr. and Mrs. Findlay are members of 
the Congregational church at Kalo and are 
people of prominence in their community. 
He is also connected with the Modern 
Woodmen of America, and in politics is 
identified with the Republican party. For 
six years he has efficiently served as town- 
ship treasurer, and he has ever taken an act- 
ive and commendable interest in public 
affairs, faithfully discharging any duty de- 
volving upon him. 



EMORY A. ROLFE. 

Emory A. Rolfe is well known in con- 
nection with journalitic interests in Webster 
county, early becoming imbued with a laud- 
able ambition to attain success, and he has 
steadily advanced in those walks of life de- 
manding intellectuality, business ability and 
fidelity until he to-day commands the respect 
and esteem not only of his community but 
of many people throughout the state. He 
was born March 30, 1865, near Burnside, 
Iowa, a son of S. F. W. and Margaretta 
Rolfe, who were early settlers of Webster 
county. He completed the course of in- 
struction of the common schools and as- 
sisted in the work of the home farm until he 
had attained his majority. Wishing to en- 
joy better educational privileges, he after- 
ward entered the Western Normal College 
at Shenandoah, Iowa, where he was gradu- 
ated with the class of 1890. He was after- 
ward graduated in Highland Park College 
of Des Moines in 1892. In the meantime he 
had become identified with educational in- 
terests as a teacher, entering upon the pro- 
fession in 1886, his work in college being 
alternated by his services as an instructor in 
the school. From 1892 until 1894 be was 
principal of the public schools of Kellogg, 
Iowa, and in 1894-5 he pursued his classical 
studies in Highland Park College of Des 
Moines. From 1895 tintil 1900 he was prin- 
cipal of the public schools of Dayton, and 
under his direction practical and substantial 
advancement was made. In 1898, however, 
in connection with A. Patron, he purchased 
the Dayton Review, becoming its editor, 
and on the 1st of June, 1900, he bought his 
partner's interest, becoming sole proprietor, 
at which time he retired from school work 
and has since given his entire attention to 
journalism. The paper receives a liberal 



;io 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



patronage and is one of the leading country 
newspapers of this portion of the state. 

On the 16th of June, 1898, Mr. Rolfe 
was united in marriage to Miss Lillie A. 
Peterson, and they have a very pleasant 
home in Dayton. In his political views Air. 
Rolfe is a Republican, and socially is con- 
nected with the Masonic fraternity, the 
Knights of Pythias, and his religious faith 
is manifest by his membership in the Church 
of 1 'hrist. 



D. D. WOODARD. 



One of the most successful farmers of 
Washington township is D. D. Woodard, 
who was born in Jefferson county, Xew 
York, February 20, 1852, a son of O. B. 
and Lavina (Bailey) Woodard, who came 
to Iowa in 1866, and settled near Homer, 
Webster county, where they lived for eight- 
een months. The parents then removed to 
a farm, now owned by Mr. Jewell, where 
thev remained for two years. For the fol- 
lowing two years they rented a farm in 
Freedom township, Hamilton county, where 
thev eventually bought a farm and where the 
father died in September. 1900. The 
mother, who is still living on the homestead, 
reared to maturity three children, and of 
these, Brayton B. died at the age of twenty- 
two, and Amelia, the wife of John Miller, 
lives on a. farm in Freedom township, Ham- 
ilton county. 

The youth of D. D. Woodard was une- 
ventfully passed on his father's farm and 
in attendance at the district schools when 
the leisure of the winter months permitted. 
He subsequently operated a threshing ma- 
chine throughout the county, an occupation 
which brought a neat little income, and 
seemed to justify his marriage, April 2, 



1SS4. to Mary Pierce, who was born 
in Van Buren count}-, Iowa. Her par- 
ents, Joseph and Nancy (Hagler) Pierce, 
were natives, respectively, of Ohio and 
Tennessee, and were married in Knox coun- 
ty. Illinois, in 1S35. They were among' the 
earliest settlers of that county, where the 
father took a homestead and lived thereon 
until his removal to Iowa, when he located 
in Van Buren county. At the end of seven 
years he sold out with the intention of going 
to Kansas, but the guerrilla warfare then 
raging in that state and western Missouri, 
influenced his decision in favor of a return 
to Knox county, Illinois, for a year. In 
1865 he settled in Hamilton county, Iowa, 
where he died June 26, 1886. As soon as 
his sons were capable of managing the farm 
he engaged in general carpenter work, at 
which lie was an expert, and was thus em- 
ployed up to within a short time of his de- 
mise. His wife sold the home farm and re- 
moved to Webster City, Iowa, where her 
death occurred in 1897. She was the mother 
of several children, of whom five daughters 
and two sons are now living: Melissa is the 
wife of Dill Knight, of Pulaski, Iowa; Jane 
is the wife of John Walker, of Missouri; 
Martha is the wife of James Abernatha, of 
the state of Washington; William married 
Molly Stockwell and lives in Oklahoma ; 
George C. married Sarah Hamilton and 
lives in Guthrie county, Iowa. The Pierce 
family claimed one hero soldier of the Civil 
w 7 ar. for A. J., the oldest son, was killed on 
the field of battle. To Mr. and Mrs. Wood- 
ard have been horn six children: Mabel, 
born December 24, 1884; Cora. September 
24, 1886; Clarence, January 6, 1888; Lester, 
February 26. 1890: Ralph. August 31, 1893", 
and Vinnie. who was born August 1 1, 1895, 
and died June 30, 1896. 

After leaving- the home farm and his 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



threshing business, Mr. Woodard lived in 
Hamilton county for a couple of years, and 
then removed to where he now lives, llis 
farm consists of eighty acres in Washington 
township, and he also owns forty-six acres 
in Webster township. Mr. Woodard is 
prominent in the affairs of his county, and 
though a stanch Republican, has never been 
officially connected with township affairs. 
I le is a member of the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows of Homer, and is a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal church. He is 
greatly interested in the breeding of tine 
horses, and is the owfler of the Percheron 
.stallion, "Volcan." He is progressive and 
influential, and has the confidence and 
friendship of all his neighborhood. 



THOMAS SOMMERVILLE. 

Thomas Sommerville, who is now suc- 
cessfully engaged in agricultural pursuits 
on section 35, Roland township, where he 
owns a fine farm of two hundred acres, 
pleasantly located within three miles of 
Gowrie, claims Scotland as his native land. 
Amid the hills of. that beautiful country he 
was born January 29. 1849, a son °f A. F. 
and Isabella ( Buoy) Sommerville, also na- 
tives of Scotland. In 1852 the family emi- 
grated to the new world and settled in Mer- 
cer countw Pennsylvania, where the father 
engaged in mining and also operated a 
small farm which he owned. Selling his 
property in that state, he came to Webster 
county. Iowa, in 1884. and took up his resi- 
dence on the farm in Roland township where 
our subject now lives, while he now makes 
his home in Gowrie, having retired from act- 
ive labor. Thomas is his oldest son, the 
other children > if the family being : Isabelle, 



wife of John Shedden, of .Mercer count}-, 
Pennsylvania : William, a resident of Cali- 
fornia; A. B., of Gowrie, Iowa; J. B. and 
John, both of Cascade count}-, Montana; 
II. B., of Gowrie; and Walter, of Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

Air. Sommerville, of this review, was 
only three vears old when brought to this 
country by his parents, and his boyhood and 
youth were passed in Mercer county, Penn- 
svlvania. He had but limited educational 
advantages in earlv life, and is almost wholly- 
self-educated. At an early age he com- 
menced work in the Pennsylvania coal mines 
with his father, and was there employed un- 
til he reached his twenty-third year. He 
then went to Illinois, and worked in the 
mines of Grundy county for about a year. 
Deciding to try his fortune still farther west, 
he proceeded to Wyoming in 1875, and was 
engaged in mining at Rock Springs for sev- 
eral vears. He then returned to Illinois, 
and found employment in the mines of Km tx 
county for three years, after which we again 
find him at Rock Springs, Wyoming, for a 
time. He was next interested in silver 
mining in Colorado. 

In 1884 Mr. Sommerville came to Web- 
ster county. Iowa, and purchased the land 
which he now occupies, though at that time 
it was only slightly improved. He spent 
about a year making improvements, and 
then leaving the farm .in charge of his fa- 
ther he returned to the west, and followed 
mining in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho 
until February, 1896, when he returned to 
Iowa, and has since devoted his time and at- 
tention to the management of his farm. He 
has built a good residence upon the place 
and made many useful and valuable im- 
provements, so that it is now one of the most 
desirable farms of its size in Roland town- 
ship. Mr. Sommerville carries on stock- 



712 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



raising in connection with farming, and is 
meeting with excellent success in both 
branches of his business. 

On the 1 2th of July, 1897, he led to the 
marriage altar Miss Ida Quick, a daughter 1 >f 
Richard Quick, a sketch of whom appears 
elsewhere in this volume. She was born in 
Michigan, but was reared in this count} - . 
Mr. Sommerville supported William McKin- 
le_v for the presidency in 1900, believing in 
the expansion of territory and the protec- 
tion of American industries, but at local 
elections he votes independent of party lines, 
supporting the men best qualified for office. 
Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic 
Lodge. Xo. $$/, at Oneida. Illinois, where 
he was initiated in 1876. His life has been 
a varied and useful one, his experiences in 
the mines of the west being extensive, and he 
has visited a large number of the states and 
territories of the Union, having seen much 
(if Uncle Sam's domains. He has mined 
for coal, silver and gold from the Cumber- 
land to the Rocky Mountains, but is now 
engaged in the more quiet pursuits of farm 

life. 

» » ♦ — 

FREDERICK GREENER. 

Frederick Grebner is one of the leading 
and influential citizens of Cooper township, 
who has taken an active part in promoting 
its substantial improvement and material 
development. An adopted son of America, 
his loyalty is above question, being mani- 
fested by his service in the Union army dur- 
ing the war of the Rebellion. 

A German by birth, Mr. Grebner was 
born in Saxony, May 11, 1843, an <^ > s a 
son of Michael and Henrietta (Weneerter) 
Grebner, natives of the same place. The 
father followed the mason's trade in Ger- 



many. In 1858 he and his family emigrated 
to the new world and settled in Jo' Daviess 
county, Illinois, but he was not long per- 
mitted to enjoy his new home, as he died 
from the effects of a sunstroke soon after 
locating there, leaving his widow with five 
small children, of whom our subject, then a 
lad of twelve years, was the oldest. After 
residing in Illinois about ten years the fam- 
ily came to Iowa and took up their residence 
in Webster county, but the mother now 
makes her home with a daughter in Yank- 
ton, South Dakota. Her children were 
Frederick, of this review ; Katie, wife of R. 
Sulzbach, of Fort Dodge; Christina, widow 
of M. T. Camp, of Yankton; and Lizzie 
and Matilda, now deceased. 

Frederick Grebner grew to manhood in 
Jo Daviess county, Illinois, and attended the 
town schools there, making the best use of 
his educational privileges. After the death 
of his father he was obliged to assist in the 
support of the family, and followed various 
occupations in early life, but since attain- 
ing man's estate has given his attention 
principally to agricultural pursuits. In 1863 
he enlisted in Company I). Eighth Illinois 
Cavalry, and served his adopted country 
faithfully and well until the close of the 
war, being honorably discharged in June,. 
1865. 

On the 12th of the following July, Mr. 
Grebner was united in marriage with Miss 
Lizzie Winter, who was born in Jo Daviess 
count)-, Illinois, January 0, 1847, a daughter 
of Henry and Lizzie Winter, both of whom 
are now deceased. By this union were born 
five children, who are still living: Henry, 
Frederick and John, twins. Katie. and Clara, 
while Willie died at the age of twenty-two 
years. 

In 1871 Mr. Grebner came to Webster 
county, Iowa, and has since made his home 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



713 



in Cooper township with the exception of 
two years. He purchased his present farm 
of one hundred and eighty acres in 1873, 
and has since converted the wild land into 
well-tilled fields, making all of the improve- 
ments upon the place. He is engaged in 
general farming, raising from forty to fifty 
acres of both corn and small grain, while 
the remainder of his land is devoted to pas- 
turage. He breeds black polled and short- 
horn cattle, keeping from fifty to sixty head 
upon his farm, and from twenty-five to one 
hundred head of hogs and eleven horses. 
He has ever been a hard-working man, and 
the success that he has achieved is due en- 
tirely to the united efforts of himself and 
wife, she having proved a true helpmeet to 
him. 

Mr. Grebner and his family attend the 
Reformed church, and he affiliates with the 
Republican party. He has filled the ofhce 
of assessor of Cooper township for four- 
teen years, and has been school director for 
the past eighteen years, still holding the lat- 
ter position. He belongs to Fort Donelson 
Post, G. A. R., and the Odd Fellows Lodge, 
of Fort Dodge, and commands the respect 
and confidence of all with whom he is 
brought in contact either in business or so- 
cial life. 



H. ROSE, M. D. 



One of the leading physicians and sur- 
geons of Fort Dodge, Iowa, is Dr. Rose, 
whose early home was on the other side of 
the Atlantic, for he was born near Berlin, 
Germany, April 14, 1849. His father. Rev. 
E. F. Rose, spent his entire life in that coun- 
try, his time and energies being devoted to 
ministerial work. He died in 1881, but his 
widow is still living and continues to make 



her home in Germany. The Doctor and 
his family recently returned from a visit to 
his mother. He is one of seven children 
still living. Four of his sisters reside in 
Germany, while the other makes her home 
in Monroe county, Iowa, and his brother, 
John, is a resident of Abegglen. His oldest 
brother, Paul, was an ofhcer in the German 
army and died from the effects of wounds 
received in the Franco-Prussian war, hav- 
ing been wounded on seven different occa- 
sions. 

Dr. Rose obtained his literary education 
at a gymnasium in Germany and then at- 
tended lectures at the Medical University 
in Greifswald, where he was thoroughly pre- 
pared for his life work. On leaving that 
institution he came to the United States in 
1872, and first located in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
where he was engaged in the practice of 
medicine until 1889, and then removed to 
Lovilla. Monroe county, Iowa, continuing 
in practice there until coming to Fort Dodge 
in November, 1896. It was not long before 
his skill and ability were widely recognized, 
and he is now successfully engaged in gen- 
eral practice of medicine and surgery. 

At Cincinnati Dr. Rose was married, 
November 21, 1885, to Miss Mary Nedder- 
man, of that city, and they have one child, 
H. C. William, now thirteen years of age. 
Since coming to this country the Doctor has 
taken considerable interest in political af- 
fairs, and has done much to advance the in- 
terests of the Republican party and insure 
its success. While a resident of Monroe 
county he was a member of the county Re- 
publican committee and has served as a 
delegate to party conventions on several oc- 
casions. The year following his arrival in 
Fort Dodge he was elected county coroner, 
and was re-elected in 1899, being the pres- 
ent incumbent. He is examining physician 



7'4 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



for a number of fraternal organizations and 
insurance companies, including the Phoenix, 
the New York Mutual, the New York Life 
and the German Insurance companies. The 
Doctor is a member of the American Asso- 
ciation of Life Insurance Examiners and 
the Fort Dodge District Medical Society, 
and also belongs to the Masonic fraternity 
and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
As a physician he has been quite successful, 
and his ability is recognized by all, while as 
a citizen he is devoted to the public welfare, 
and is ready at all times to do his part in 
everything that will tend to the advance- 
ment of his adopted city and county. 



GODFREY SNYDER. 

The career of Mr. Snyder has been a 
diversified one, and he has been successful 
as a farmer, shoemaker and lumberman, 
having also meritoriously served as a valiant 
soldier during the Civil war. Although 
born in Switzerland, December 25, 184-2, he 
has but a faint recollection of the beauty 
and grandeur of his native land, for in 1850 
he came with his parents to America, and for 
a time lived in Dunkirk, New York. After 
a while the family settled in Ohio, where 
the father died in March, 1901, while his 
wife died the year after coming to the 
United States. The father was a shoemaker 
by occupation, and in later life married 
again, the second wife, who was formerly 
Elizabeth Feister, being now a resident of 
Ohio. 

Godfrey Snyder received a fair educa- 
tion in his youth, which was augmented in 
after years by considerable study, so that at 
the present time he is an unusually well-in- 
formed man. A natural consequence was 



that he should work at the shoemaker's 
trade with his father, which occupation he 
continued until fifteen years of age. He 
then engaged in various work until the 
breaking out of the Civil war lent opportun- 
ity to- an otherwise uneventful youth, and 
September 3, 1864, enlisted in Company E, 
One Hundred and Seventy-eighth Volunteer 
Infantry, commanded by GeneraN Milroy 
and Sherman, Colonel Shoemaker and Cap- 
tain Millinger, and participated in the bat- 
tles of Murfreesboro, Cumberland Gap, 
Peach Orchard, Kingston, North Carolina, 
and many others, and followed the martial 
fortunes of Sherman in his march to the 
sea. He was thrice wounded in the service, 
with a sabre, bayonet and piece of steel, but 
his wounds did not materially interfere with 
his activity during the war. After being 
mustered out at Charlotte, North Carolina, 
July 11, 1865, he returned to Ohio, and ran 
a sawmill for about fifteen months. 

The marriage of Mr. Snyder and Miss 
Mary Jane Allen occurred in 1870. Mrs. 
Snyder is of Scotch descent, and one in a 
family of six children, the others being. 
Christina, who married George Corker, and 
died in Ohio; Maggie, who married Christ 
Miller and lives in Ohio; Peter, who married 
and died in Ohio*; and Ellen, who was killed 
in a railway wreck in New York in 1880. 
The father of Mrs. Snyder served during the 
Civil war in the One Hundred and Fourth 
Ohio Regiment, and after two years of- ac- 
tivity was discharged for disability. 

Seven children have been born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Snyder: Cyrus, a resident of 
Boone county, Iowa, married Lvdia Woods 
and has two children; William H. married 
Emma Putzka, lives in Dayton township, 
Webster county, and has two children ; Mag- 
gie is the wife of John T. Fleming, lives in 
Cedar county, Missouri, and has two chil- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



7'5 



dren : Ezra married Emma Barquist and 
lives at home; Frank died at the age of fif- 
teen vears; Pearl is living at home; and 
Charlotte is also at home. 

After his marriage Mr. Snyder engaged 
in farming with considerable success in 
Ohio. Michigan and Iowa, and for five years 
devoted his energies to lumbering in Ohio, 
where he furnished heavy timber for ship- 
building purposes. Subsequently he lived 
fi n- fi iiirteen years in Dayton township, 
Webster county, Iowa, after which he set- 
tled on the farm in Hardin township, which 
has since been his home. He is a Republican 
in politics, but has never been an office 
seeker, and he is associated with the Grand 
Army of the Republic. He is also a mem- 
ber of Grace Methodist Episcopal church, 
and is an active worker in the affairs of the 
church. During his many years residence 
in Webster county Mr. Snyder has won 
many friends and the appreciation of all for 
his disinterested and progressive spirit. 



C. A. LUXDBLAD. 



Success is determined by one's ability to 
recognize opportunity and to pursue this 
with a resolute and unflagging energy. It 
results from continued labor, and the man 
who thus accomplishes his puipose usually 
becomes an important factor in the business 
circles of the community with which he is 
connected. Through such means Mr. Lund- 
blad has attained a leading place among the 
representative men of Dayton, and his well- 
spent and honorable life commands the re- 
spect of all who known him. 

He was burn in Sweden on the 25th of 
March. 1S50, but was only seven years old 
when in company with his parents. Andrew 



and Carrie Lundblad, he crossed the ocean 
and took up his residence at Pilot Mound. 
Boone county, Iowa, where his father and 
mother are still living. The former cele- 
brated his eightx -second birthday on the 2jst 
of September, [901. Six of their children 
are now deceased, while those who. are still 
living are Alf, who married Sophia Swanson 
and resides near Pilot Mound: C. A., our 
subject: Lottie, wife of William Peterson, of 
Pilot Mound; Lu, wife of Edward Nelson, 
of Dayton; Augusta, wife of Andel Bergdal, 
who lives on the old homestead at Pilot 
Mound; Julia, who is now keeping house 
for our subject; and Henry, who married 
Minnie Bishup and resides in Pocahontas 
county, Iowa. 

In the public schools of this state C. 
A. Lundblad acquired his education, and he 
remained with his father, assisting in the 
operation of the home farm until the spring" 
of 188 1. In the meantime he was married 
at Pilot Mound, February 23. 1S77. to Miss 
Anna Moard, who was born in Moline, Illi- 
nios, in 1859, a daughter of Andrew and 
Martha Moard. both natives of Sweden and 
now deceased. It was during the '50s that 
her parents emigrated to the new world and 
settled in Moline. They had four children: 
Charles, who married Xellie Johnson and 
resides in Dayton township. Webster coun- 
ty, Iowa; Andrew, who married Selma An- 
derson and lives in the same township; John, 
who married Gertrude Shields, of Burling- 
i' 11. Iowa, and died in 1887. leaving a wid- 
ow and two children, who still reside in that 
city; and Anna, wife of our subject, who 
died June 10. 1883, and was laid to rest in 
Dayton cemetery. There were three chil- 
dren born of this union, namely: Daisy, 
who is now the wife of Ernest Johnson, of 
Dayton, and has one child, Lucile; John L., 
who was a student for two vears at Carlton 



7i6 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



College, [Minnesota, and is now jn the em- 
ploy of Lundblad & Company at Dayton ; 
and Delia, who is a graduate of the Dayton 
schools and is at home with her father. 

In 1 88 1 Mr. Lundblad purchased a farm 
of one hundred and sixty acres a mile and 
a half south of Dayton, and to the cultiva- 
tion and improvement of that place he de- 
voted his energies until the spring of 1884, 
when he removed to Dayton, bought prop- 
erty and built his present comfortable home. 
He shipped the second carload of hogs ever 
shipped from this place and has dealt in both 
stock and grain since the railroad was built. 
He is a wide-awake, energetic business man, 
and due success has not been denied him. 
Besides his property here he owns one hun- 
dred and sixty acres of improved land in 
Oklahoma, and is a stockholder and direct- 
or in the Farmers State Bank, of Dayton. 
He is now associated in the stock and grain 
business with G. A. Gustafson, and they 
have elevators at both Dayton and Harcourt. 
As a Republican Mr. Lundblad takes quite 
an active interest in local politics and is now 
serving as councilman, while for one term 
he was mayor of the city. He has also 
filled the office of township trustee twelve 
years, and was a member of the school board 
the same length of time. 



CHARLES HUGLIN. 

The history of this esteemed citizen of 
Dayton. Iowa, is of unusual interest, and his 
numerous friends, here and elsewhere, will 
peruse the outline as given below with keen 
relish. Few of our citizens have been more 
loyal in their devotion to this, the land of 
their adoption, than he has been during his 
residence here. 

A native of .Sweden, he was born at 



Smedjegarden, Stockholm, June 25, 1834, 
and was baptized the following day as Carl 
Johan Quiskey, but changed it to Charles 
Huglin while in the arm)' during our Civil 
war. His parents were Alexander and 
Elenora Quiskey, natives of Stockholm. Our 
subject was only three years old when his 
father died, and as his mother was not able 
to provide for all of her nine children he 
was placed in an orphanage in Stockholm, 
and remained there until six years of age, 
when he was adopted by Isaac Peterson and 
made his home with that gentleman until his 
emigration to America in 1858. The voy- 
age was made on a sailing vessel and was 
quite a stormy one. After ten weeks upon 
the water Mr. Huglin landed in Boston, a 
stranger in a strange land, without a cent 
of money. By rail he proceeded to New 
Sweden, Iowa, by way of Chicago, and com- 
menced work as a farm hand at twenty-five 
cents per day and board. 

When the Civil war broke out Mr. Hug- 
lin enlisted in 1861, at Orion, Henry coun- 
ty, Illinois, in the Eleventh Ohio Battery, 
and served under Generals Grant and Rose- 
crans for a little over three years. During the 
battle of Iuka, September 19, 1862, he was 
wounded in the hip and in both legs, though 
no bones were broken. For ten weeks he 
was confined to the hospital at Jackson, Ten- 
nessee, and his wounds were healed by his 
own ministrations. Later he took part in 
the battle of Corinth, and ! from Helena, 
Louisiana, went to Millikin's Bend, where 
his command spent two weeks awaiting the 
siege of Vicksburg, in which they took an 
active part up to the time of the surrender 
of that stronghold. July 4, 1863. After a 
rest of two weeks they crossed the river to 
Little Rock, Arkansas, and then proceeded 
to Duvall's Bluff, where Mr. Huglin was 
taken seriouslv ill and was confined in the 




CHARLES HUGLIN 





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MRS. CHARLES HUGLIN 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



721 



hospital For seven weeks. He was then taken 
in Keokuk, towa, on a Mississippi river 
steamer; and from there went by rail to Cin- 
cinnati, and on to Columbus, Ohio, where 
lie was mustered out of service in ( )ctober, 
[86 5 . 

On leaving the army Mr. Huglin re- 
turned with one of his comrades, Samuel 
Nelson, to Colona, Henry county, Illinois, 
and the following spring rented a farm of 
sixty acres near Coal Valley, which he suc- 
cessfully operated for four years. In the 
meantime he was married at Andover, Illi- 
nois, November JJ, 1867, to Miss Christina 
Louisa Swanson, the ceremony being per- 
formed by Rev. John Swanson. Her par- 
ents, Gabriel and Sarah Swanson, were na- 
tives of Sweden, and came to the new world 
in 1865, taking- up their residence in And- 
over, Illinois. The father died in 1887, the 
mother in 1900. In their family were the 
following children: Roland, who was mar- 
ried in Sweden and now lives in Moline, Illi- 
nois; Marie, wife of John Engstrom, of 
Burnside, Webster county, Iowa; Christina 
Louisa, wife of our subject; Alfred, who 
died in Andover, Illinois, at the age of twen- 
ty-four years; Ida, wife of August Daniel- 
son, of Moline, Illinois; Tilda, wife of Adee 
Johnson, of Andover; Lizzie, wife of Gust 
Swanson, of Moline; and Minnie, wife of 
August Norlin, of Dayton township, Web- 
ster county, Iowa. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Huglin were born 
ten children, namely: Alfred, born July 15, 
1868, died July 21, 1868; the second, born 
September 14, 1869, is a lawyer of Fairfield, 
Iowa; Luther C, born August 23, 1871, op- 
erates his father's farm in Boone county, 
Iowa; Elizabeth, born February n, 1874, in 
Lancaster county. Nebraska, lives with her 
parents; Oscar E., born January 15, 1876, 
is on the old homestead ; Gilbert, born Jan- 



uary 7, 1S78, Tilda, born October 23, 1880, 
and Ida, born November 30, 1882, are all 
at home; Norton, born December 10, 1887, 
died December 16, 1887; and Esther, born 
April (>, t.SXd, died on the same day. 

After his marriage Mr. Huglin pur- 
chased a farm of eighty acres near Geneseo, 
Illinois, for which he paid twelve hundred 
di 'liars, and four years later traded that place 
for a farm of one hundred and twenty acres 
in Lancaster county, Nebraska, where he 
made his home for three years. At the end 
of that time he removed to Boone county, 
Iowa, and after operating rented land for 
three or four years he purchased a farm, and' 
kept adding - to« his landed possessions from 
time to time until he had three hundred and 
sixty acres of rich and arable land under 
cultivation and a tract of fiften acres of 
timber land. Mr. Huglin continued to ac- 
tively engage in agricultural pursuits until 
March, 1899, when he removed to Dayton 
and purchased a nice home, where he has 
since lived a retired life. The prosperity 
that has come to him is certainly justly 
merited, and it is due entirely to his thrifty 
habits, untiring industry and good business 
ability. He was formerly a trustee of the 
Swedish Lutheran church, to which he be- 
longs, and is an honored member of the 
Grand Army Post at Dayton. In politics 
he is a stanch Republican, and always gives 
his support to any enterprise calculated to 
pn inn ite the general welfare. 



F. T. SCOTT. 



More than forty-five years have elapsed 
since this gentleman arrived in Webster 
county, and he is justly numbered among 
her honored pioneers and leading citizens. 



722 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



He was born in Noble county, Indiana, Jan- 
uary <;, 1H49, and is a son of E. A. and 
Lusina (Mars) Scott, natives of Ohio and 
Illinois, respectively. They were married 
in the Buckeye state and from there re- 
moved to Indiana, the father being engaged 
in farming in Noble county until coming to 
Iowa in [854. After spending two years 
in Marion county, this state, he removed 
to Webster county and took up his residence 
in Yell township, just north of Dayton, 
which town at that time contained only two 
dwelling houses and no business blocks. 
There was not a store nor blacksmith shop 
nearer than Fort Dodge. Mr. Scott at once 
turned his attention to the improvement and 
development of his land and became owner 
of two farms, one of these being the noted 
Des Moines river farm, below Lehigh, 
wihle the other was on the prairie. He con- 
tinued to engage in agricultural pursuits 
throughout his active business life, but spent 
his last years in ease and retirement in Day- 
ton, where he died in 1896, at the age of 
seventy-four. He was one of the most 
prominent men of his community, and was 
called upon to' serve as county supervisor 
ami till other offices of honor and trust. His 
wife still survives him and now resides in 
Lake City, Iowa. 

The subject of this sketch was only six 
years old when he came to- this county, and 
amid pioneer scenes he grew to manhood. 
I lc attended the common schools near his 
home, but the greater part of his education 
was acquired through reading and observa- 
tion in later years. He remained under the 
parental roof until twenty-two years of age, 
and then located on his present farm, he 
and his brother owning and operating three 
hundred and twenty acres of land together 
for several years. When the property was 



divided our subject took the quarter section 
of land where he now resides, and has made 
all of the improvements upon the place, til- 
ing and fencing the land, setting out shade 
and fruit trees, and erecting a good set of 
farm buildings thereon. In connection with 
the cultivation of his land he is engaged 
in raising a good grade of stock. 

On the 6th of April, 1879, in this coun- 
ty, Mr. Scott was united in marriage with 
Miss Mary Bass, a native of the county and 
a daughter of James Bass, who was one of 
the first settlers of the county, his home be- 
ing in Yell township until his retirement 
from active labor, since which time he has 
lived in Dayton. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have 
seven children, namely : Hobart, who is 
now engaged in farming on his own ac- 
count; and Nellie, Gracie, Clifton, Cassie, 
Wilson and Leo, all at home. 

In politics Mr. Scott is a true blue Re- 
publican and supported General U. S. Grant 
for the presidency in 1872, soon after at- 
taining his majority. He served two terms 
as township trustee, but has never cared for 
political honors. He attends and supports 
the Methodist Episcopal church, of which 
his wife is an earnest member. He can re- 
late many interesting incidents of pioneer 
days in this county when most of the land 
was wild and unimproved and the few set- 
tlers were widely scattered. In those early- 
days he often saw : large droves of deer, and 
once saw about one hundred elk in one herd 
which had come down the river, being driv- 
en south by the severe winter and deep snow. 
Other wild game was very plentiful, but all 
have now disappeared, and the country has 
taken on all the evidences of an advanced 
civilization. When Mr. Scott first located 
here the soldiers were still at Fort Dodge, 
which was then one of the frontier posts. 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



723 



In the improvement and development of the 

count v he has ever borne his part, and is 
deserving of prominent mention in its his- 

b t\ . 



II. C. GRABENHORST. 

H. C. Grabenhorst, one of the largest 

land owners and most ambitions tanners of 
Dayton township, was born in the province 
of Brunswick, Germany, November _'i, 
1829. The family, whose reputation for 
industry he so well sustains, was first rep- 
resented in America by the paternal grand- 
father, who spent eight years in America 
during the latter part of the eighteenth cen- 
tury, and while absent from his native land 
followed for a time the martial fortunes of 
Washington during the Revolutionary war. 
In all he remained in America about eight 
years and finally 'returned to the associations 
of his youth and the home of his kindred 
and friends. 

Henry George Grabenhorst, the father 
of our subject, was born in the village of 
Watzum, Brunswick, Germany, March 17, 
1799, and spent his early life among the 
vine-clad hills of the fatherland. At the age 
of thirteen years he comenced working on 
a farm near his native village. During the 
French Revolution the farmers were re- 
quired to furnish teams to carry away the 
stricken soldiers from the battlefields, and 
he assisted in the duty of conveying the 
wounded to the rear of the army. Leaving 
the farm he learned the tailor's trade, which 
he followed until his emigration to America 
in 1850. He landed in New York, and from 
there went to Chester county, Pennsylvania, 
where he engaged in farming for five years, 
and then removed to Illinois, locating- eight 
miles north of Chicago. The same summer, 



however, he came to Webster county, Iowa, 
and entered a half section of government 
land northeast of Dayton, which is still 
known as the Grabenhorst place. The fol- 
lowing spring he and his family took up 
their abode in the log house which is still 
standing upon the farm. At that time Day- 
ton did not exist, their nearest postofHce be- 
ing Homer, which was then the county seat 
of Webster county. Iowa City was their 
nearest market, and thither they were com- 
pelled to go for their supply of provisions. 
With the help of his son-in-law, Mr. Graben- 
horst raised the first house in Dayton. He 
was twice married before leaving Germany, 
his first wife having died in that country in 
183 1, during the infancy of our subject. 
For his second wife he married Dorothy 
Branders, who came with him to America 
and died in Webster county, Iowa, in Sep- 
tember, 1885, her remains being interred in 
Dayton cemetery. He departed this life on 
the 23d of May, 1899, at the extreme old age 
of one hundred years and two months. I lis 
life was an active and useful one, and he 
commanded the respect and confidence of all 
who knew him. At the age of thirteen 
years, just before leaving his native village, 
he was confirmed in the Lutheran church, 
and was ever afterward a faithful member 
of that denomination-. Besides our subject 
he had two other sons and one daughter, 
namely : Andrew married Catherine Bart- 
lett, who died at the their home in Pennsyl- 
vania in 1899; Fred married Mrs. Mc- 
Devitt and lives in Boone county, Iowa: and 
Dorothy married first Jacob Fisher and after 
his death wedded Bernhard Wolf, who is 
also now deceased. At the time of his 
death Mr. Grabenhorst had fifteen grand- 
children and thirty great-grandchildren. 
He was always a home-loving man and very 
devoted to his family. 



724 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



The children were reared to a life of ag- 
riculture and were educated in the public 
schools of Germany. The parents were 
quite well-to-do, owning thirteen hundred 
acres of land in Brunswick, and upon this 
farm H. C. Grabenhorst remained until 
1849, when, with all the enterprise of a 
young man of eighteen years, he sailed for 
the new world and eventually found himself 
working on a farm in Pennsylvania. Things 
being greatly to his liking in the United 
States, he sent for his parents in the spring 
of 1850 and after their arrival in this coun- 
try the family made their home in the Key- 
stone state for five years, as before stated. 

On the removal of the father to Iowa, 
our subject went to Maryland, where he con- 
ducted a dairy in the vicinity of Baltimore, 
and owned one hundred and ninety cows 
for that purpose. He was successful beyond 
his most sanguine expectations, his irulk 
and cream sales amounting to about forty 
thousand dollars annually. For the long 
period of sixteen years he supplied one ho- 
tel in Baltimore with milk, delivering be- 
tween thirty and eighty gallons daily to the 
appreciative hostelry. For twenty-one years 
he remained in the same location, and in 
1874 removed to a farm near Frederick City, 
Maryland, where he lived for seventeen 
years. In 1891 he decided to permanently 
locate in Iowa, and for four years resided 
in the city of Des Moines. As far back as 
1859 he had visited his father in thi ; local- 
ity and purchased large land holdings, 
among his other possessions acquired at that 
time being two hundred acres in section 18, 
Dayton township, Webster county, and six 
hundred and forty acres of land on section 
12. the latter costing him between fifty-four 
hundred dollars and six thousand dollars. 

While living near Baltimore, Maryland, 
Mr. Grabenhorst married Margaret Ann 



Layer, whose family was among the early 
settlers of Pennsylvania during the last cen- 
tury, the grandfather having arrived from 
Germany in 1816. The parents of Mrs. 
Grabenhorst were farmers during their years 
of activity and in 1855 the mother settled 
on a farm in Maryland, the father having 
died in Pennsylvania in August, 1849. She 
survived him until July, 1901, at which 
time she was eighty-five years of age. There 
were but three children in the family, and 
of these Jacob F., who married Christiana 
Wolf j and Louisa, who married Daniel F. 
Wolf and lived in Baltimore, are deceased. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Grabenhorst have been 
horn five children : Jacob F., who lives with 
his parents on the home farm ; William H., 
who lives on a farm near Dayton, and mar- 
ried Eva Haight, of New York state; Anna 
L., who died at the age of ten years; Car- 
rie C.j who is at home; and George, who 
died when only sixteen months old. 

Several years ago Mr. Grabenhorst dis- 
posed of the section of land upon which he 
now resides to his son and daughter, and 
himself and wife are now living on the farm 
with their children. He has a wide ac- 
quaintance in Dayton township and is es- 
teemed bv all who know him. 



VAN ILES. 



Among the promising and successful 
farmers of Dayton township may be men- 
tioned Van lies, who has never wandered 
far from his present home, having! been 
torn two miles from where be now lives 
May 13, 1863. His parents, John and Eliz- 
abeth (Southard) lies, who were of Ger- 
man descent, were born in Ohio, but eventu- 
ally found a profitable and congenial loca- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



725 



tion in Veil township, where they spent the 
remainder of their days, respected and hon- 
ored members of the community. Here, 
surrounded by the fruits of their industry, 
and with the knowledge of having wisely 
directed their lives, the father died January 
16, 1 901, his wife having died April 23, 
1897. They were the parents of the follow- 
ing children : Mrs. Alvin Fuller, who lives 
on the old home place ; Charles, who lives at 
Pilot Mound and married Viola Hook ; Al- 
exander, who died at the age of twenty-two ; 
Van, the subject of this sketch ; Fred, who 
lives in Boone county and married Etta 
Phipps ; Leona, who is now the wife of Wal- 
ter Deck, and lives near Stratford ; and Ber- 
tha, who is the wife of Sherman Girdey. 

While living on his father's farm Mr. 
lies not only learned to be a model agri- 
culturist, but received a thorough common 
school education, which he later practically 
applied by teaching school for ten terms. On 
November 16, 1893, he married Elzada 
Bowman, who was born September 6, 1866, 
in Hamilton count}'. Iowa, and taught thir- 
teen terms of school in Iowa and Arizona 
previous to her marriage. Her parents, 
William and Maria (Hardin) Bowman, 
were born in Ohio and were of German de- 
scent. William Bowman went to Hamilton 
county, Iowa, in 1856, and lived there until 
his death in 1884, at the age of fifty-six 
years. His wife came to this state at the 
age of fourteen and has ever since lived in 
this and adjoining counties, at present re- 
siding with her son-in-law, Mr. lies. Har- 
din township was named for her father, 
Joseph Hardin, who was its first settler, and 
the first election held there was in the home 
of Mrs. Bowman. She is now sixty-five 
years of age and is the mother of the follow- 
ing children : Sarah, who married Frank 
Cofer, and lives on a farm in Arizona: Mi- 



nerva, now the widow of George Bentley; 
William, who died at the age of twenty- 
eight ; Mrs. Van lies ; and Cora, who lives 
at Stratford. To Mr. and Mrs. lies have 
been born four children : Fay, born Octo- 
ber 7, 1894; a son who was born February 
28, 1896, and died April 13, 1896; Fern, 
born December 17, 1897; and Clarice, burn 
May 29, 1899. 

For the past eleven years Mr. lies has 
occupied his present farm of three hundred 
and twenty acres, which has yielded him a 
reasonable income for time and money in- 
vested, and has been improved in a thor- 
oughly scientific manner. Mr. lies is en- 
gaged in general farming and stock-raising, 
and has a fine country residence, as well as 
adequate barns and modern general im- 
provements. In political affiliation he is a 
Silver Democrat, and has served with satis- 
faction to all concerned as a member of the 
school board. 



JOHN COONEY. 

The life of John Cooney, one of the most 
prosperous farmers of Washington town- 
ship, has been a varied one. He was born in 
County Sligo, Ireland, July 18, 1854, a son 
of James and Bridget (Berrig) Cooney, na- 
tives of the same part of Ireland. 

Various members of the Coonev family 
were identified with the religious upheaval in 
Ireland caused by the rigorous mandates of 
the great Cromwell, and Cooney No. 4, as 
he was called, owned the largest estate in 
Ireland during the Cromwell war. His 
property was confiscated by the government, 
and this act of English impudence caused 
a feeling of intense grief among those who 
had for so long lived in the ancestral abode. 
The place was so located that the cows which 



726 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



grazed upon the fragrant meadows could 
be watered in what was known as Sligo bay, 
in the Irish sea. The grandfather of John 
Cooney, Richard by name, was, like his 
forefathers, a stanch upholder of the doc- 
trine of the Catholic church, and naught 
could disturb his faith in its infallibility. He 
could have leased land for two shillings six 
pence an acre had he been willing to re- 
nounce his church in favor of the Church of 
England, and his unwillingness to comply 
with the government demand increased his 
taxes tn three half guineas, or eight dollars 
per acre. 

James Cooney, the father of John, lived 
in Ireland at what was called Skreen Parish, 
where he engaged in farming primarily, but 
was general agent for Pat Durham, the 
owner of many ships used for shipping pota- 
toes to all parts of the world. Mr. Cooney 
did the greater part of the buying for Mr. 
Durham, and in his combined occupations 
managed to make a more than average liv- 
ing. His death occurred in October, 1861, 
and he was survived by his wife until Feb- 
ruary, 1863. He was also a Roman Catho- 
lic. In his family were eleven sons and one 
daughter, four of whom came to America. 
The children are as follows : Daniel ; 
James ; John ; Hugh ; Patrick ; John ; Mary ; 
John; Richard; two who died in infancy 
unnamed; and Hugh. The children who 
came to America are : Daniel, who married 
Bridget Bradley and lives at Pittsburg, 
Pennsylvania; James, who lives at Massil- 
lon, Stark county, Ohio; Mary, who died at 
the age of eighteen; and John. 

In Ireland John Cooney received but 
a limited education, and in 1866, at the age 
of twelve, he came to America on the 
steamer Hibernian. Arriving in Pittsburg 
he learned the iron moulder's trade, at 
which he worked as an apprentice for three 



years. He then engaged in coal mining 
on the Monongahela river for three months, 
and then moved to Stark county, Ohio, 
and continued to engage in coal mining for 
three years. He later spent a short time 
in Madison, Indiana, and two months in 
St. Louis, going afterward to Coal Creek, 
Fountain county, Indiana, where he spent 
the winter in the mines. He afterward set- 
tled in Braidwood, Will county, Illinois, 
where he worked in the mines for a year, 
and then went to Hampton, Rock Island 
county, Illinois, where he worked in the 
mines for seven months. At Grand Junc- 
tion, Greene county, Iowa, he helped to sink 
a shaft, and this completed, he moved to 
Coalville, Webster county, and worked in 
the coal mines, remaining there until 1896. 
In the meantime he had lived frugally and 
saved considerable money, and with this he 
purchased the farm upon which he now lives, 
and which consists of one hundred and sixty 
a.cres. 

On February 22, 1888, at Fort Dodge. 
Mr. Cooney was married at the Corpus 
Christi church, to Miss Ellen Munn, 
the ceremony being performed by Rev. 
Father Lannahan, now Bishop of Cheyenne, 
Wyoming 1 . Mrs. Cooney was born Febru- 
ary 9. 1856, a daughter of Robert and Kath- 
erine Munn, natives, respectively, of coun- 
ties Fermanagh and Donegal, Ireland. The 
parents were married in Ayrshire. Scot- 
land, and came to America on a sailing ves- 
sel in 1857, the voyage being a pleasant one 
and lasting seven weeks. They settled at 
Scranton, Pennsylvania, where the father 
engaged in mining, and later lived at Lex 
ington, Ohio, and Charlestown, West Vir- 
ginia. In 1869 they came to Des Moines, 
Iowa, near which city they farmed for some 
time, and in 1870 settled in Coalville, Iowa, 
where the father died September 24, 1886, 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



727 



.iml the mother the following year. They 
were the parents of eleven children : Will- 
iam, who married Jennie Fitzgerald and 
lives in Pleasant Valley township; James, 
who married Mary Miricle, and lives in 
< oalville, lew a; Ellen, who is the wife of 
our subject; Mary, who died at the age of 
four years; Katherine, wife of James Mc- 
Maiiii. of Washington township, this coun- 
i\ : Patrick, a resident of Red Lodge, Mon- 
tana; Robert, who is engaged in mining at 
Cripple Creek, Colorado; John, a resident of 
Pleasant Valley township, this county ; Mag- 
gie, who lives with our subject; Thomas, 
a resident of Cripple Creek, Colorado; and 
Lizzie, wife of William Smith, of Pleasant 
Valley township. Mr. and Mrs. Cooney 
have four children : Mary C, born March 
28, [887; Annie C, November 28, 1891 ; 
Helen Ruth, April 11, 1893; and James' R., 
August 28. 1895. 

Mr. Cooney has been unusually success- 
ful in his farming and stock-raising, and 
now owns one hundred and seventy-five 
acres on section 12, Washington township. 
He has a good modern house, ample barns, 
sound fences and well-built granaries and 
sheds. Although not an office seeker in any 
sense of the word be has, at the earnest so- 
licitations of friends, held several positions 
of trust in the township, and has thereby re- 
flected credit upon the Democratic party. He 
is a member of St. Joseph's church at Dun- 
combe. 



SHERMAN GIRDEY. 

• 

Though one of the younger generation 
of farmers of Dayton township, Mr. Girdey 
is one of the most enterprising and the 
farm of one hundred and twenty acres which 
has For some time been under his manage- 



ment, is evidence of his thorough knowledge 
of agricultural methods and devotion to 
duly. A native son of the township, he 
was born August 30, (869, and is a son ot 
Henry Girdey, who was born in Norway in 
[842, and came to America with his older 
brother when seven years of age. The 
father served in the Civil war with courage 
and deep-rooted patriotism for his adopted 
country, and eventually became a resident 
of Dayton township, where he accumulated 
three hundred and twenty acres of land, and 
where his death occurred March 10, 1900. 
He married Hannah Larson, who was born 
in Sweden April 12, 1837, and came to 
America in 1864. She is now an invalid 
and residing on the property left by her hus- 
band. 

Sherman Girdey is the second oldest in 
his father's family, the other children being: 
May, Emma, Charley and Julia. He was 
educated in the public schools and was 
reared to an appreciation of the dignity and 
usefulness of an agricultural life. The 
father's large possessions afforded abundant 
occupation for all of the children, and Mr. 
Girdey continued to assist in the manage- 
ment of the homestead up to the time of his 
marriage, December 8, 1897. Mrs. Girdey 
was formerly Bertha lies, who was born 
near Stratford, Iowa. Her parents, who 
were natives of Licking county, Ohio, 
came to Webster county, Iowa, in 1858, 
and settled on a farm in Yell town- 
ship. Here the}- passed the remainder 
of their lives, the death of the father 
occurring January 16, 1901, and the 
mother April 23, 1897. In their family 
were four sons and three daughters, name- 
ly: Alice, now the wife of Alvin Fuller, 
who resides on the old homestead in Yell 
township; Charles, who married Viola; 
Hook and is a merchant of Pilot Mound ; 



728 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Alec, who died in 1881 at the age of twenty- 
two years ; Van, who married Elzada Bow- 
man and is engaged in farming in the east- 
ern part of Dayton township; Fred, who 
married Etta Phipps and is a farmer of 
Boone county, Iowa; and Leona, wife of 
Walter Deck, who lives near Stratford. 

After his marriage Mr. Girdey took pos- 
session of a portion of the old homestead, 
upon which he now lives, and here he has 
secured a good start in life. In spite of his 
well-applied energy his interests are by no 
means self-centered, for he takes an active 
interest in promoting the general improve- 
ment of the neighborhood, and is also inter- 
ested in political affairs and other matters. 



N. C. RASMUSSEN. 

The world instinctively pays deference 
to the man whose success has been worthily 
achieved, who has acquired a high reputa- 
tion in his chosen calling and whose social 
prominence is not less the result of an irre- 
proachable life than of recognized natural 
gifts. It is a pleasing indulgence to write 
the biography of a man of this character 
such as Mr. Rasmussen is known to be. He 
is a wide-awake, energetic business man 
who is operating the Callender Roller Mills, 
of which he is the proprietor. 

A native of Wisconsin, he was born in 
Winnebago county, April 21, 1866, and is 
a son of H. P. and Mary (Nelson) Ras- 
mussen. who were born and reared in Den- 
mark, but were married after coming to this 
country. The father was a young man when 
he crossed the Atlantic in 1864 and took up 
his residence in Xeenah. Wisconsin. By 
trade he was a millwright, as was his father 
before him, aid on coming to Iowa in 1879, 



he built the mill at Callender, which he op- 
erated for some years, but is now living a re- 
tired life at that place. He and his estimable 
wife have five children, four sons and one 
daughter: N. Christ, of this review; 
Charles, a farmer of Roland township ; 
Henry, helper and engineer in the mill of 
which our subject is now proprietor; A. P., 
also a resident of Callender ; and Christina, 
at home with her parents. 

N. C. Rasmussen accompanied his par- 
ents on their removal to Callender and here 
grew to manhood with limited educational 
advantages. He began his business career 
as a well driller, and followed that occu- 
pation for thirteen or fourteen years, with 
a gang of from ten to- eighteen men. He 
sank a large number of wells throughout 
various parts of the county, and made over 
one hundred in Callender. At an early age 
he became thoroughly familiar with the mill- 
ing business, and on discontinuing well drill- 
ing he took charge of the mill at Callender, 
which he has since remodeled, putting in the 
roller process, and to-day has one of the 
best mills in the county, with a capacity of 
fifty barrels of flour and fifty tons of 
chopped feed every twenty-four hours. He 
does a merchant milling business and man- 
ufactures more meal than all the other mills 
of the county put together, shipping as high 
as four carloads to Des Moines at one time. 
He has a high reputation for the excellent 
quality of both flour and meal manufactured 
by him. In addition to 1 the business at Cal- 
lender, Mr. Rasmussen now owns and op- 
erates a new mill at Lohrville, Iowa, which 
is proving quite profitable owing to his skill- 
ful management. 

Mr. Rasmussen was married in Callen- 
der, February 17, 1888, to Miss Katie Stone, 
who was born in New York, but came to 
Iowa when a child and was reared in Web- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



729 



ster county. Her father, James Stone, was 
a native of England and an early settler of 
this county, where he died in 1876. His 
widow subsequently became the wife oi 
James Langdon. Her death occurred in 
1891. Our subject and his wife have three 
children : Clifford, Mina and Thomas. 

Politically Mr. Rasmussen has been a 
stanch Republican since casting his first 
presidential vote for Benjamin Harrison in 
1888, and was elected and served as council- 
man tor six years. He is a member of the 
Modern Woodmen of America, while his 
wife holds membership in the Methodist 
Episcopal church of Callender. As a pub- 
lic-spirited and progressive citizen Mr. Ras- 
mussen has taken a very active part in the 
development] and upbuilding of the town, 
and has erected some of its best business 
houses and private residences. By untiring 
industry and sound business judgment he 
has won merited success in all his under- 
takings, and is in all respects worthy of the 
high regard in which he is held by his fel- 
low citizens. 



A. STROMBERG. 



The substantial national Swedish traits 
which insure success to their owners in all 
parts of the world are embodied in a large 
degree in A. Stromberg, one of the enter- 
prising farmers of Otho township. A na- 
tive of the province of Skane, near the city 
of Helsingborg, Sweden, he was born De- 
cember 25, 1854, and is of Swedish parent- 
age. The family emigrated to America in 
1868 and settled in Menard county, Illinois, 
where the father worked out by the day in 
his effort to make headway amid the new 
conditions. In this way lie managed to 
save some money, and in 1890 removed to 



Todd county, Minnesota, where he bought 
two hundred and forty acres of land, upon 
which himself and wife at present live. They 
are the parents of the following children 
who, with the exception of A. Stromberg, 
are residents of Minnesota; John; Nelson; 
Mary, who is the wife of O. Nelson, and 
has two children; and A. Stromberg. 

Mr. Stromberg attended the public 
schools in Sweden and worked for his father 
on rented land until his emigration to Amer- 
ica at the age of fifteen. The family sailed 
from Copenhagen and landed at Quebec, 
coming from there direct to Illinois in 1870. 
On January 8, 1884, Mr. Stromberg mar- 
ried Hannah Johnson, who was born in 
Sweden, August jo, 1865, her birthplace be- 
ing also near the city of Helsingborg. Her 
parents, who were also born in Sweden, at 
present live with their daughter and her 
husband. They came to America in 1871 
and located in Menard count)', Illinois, and 
that is where the young people became ac- 
quainted. The parents came to Iowa in 
1897 and bought forty acres of land in 1900, 
on section 28, Otho township, Webster 
county. Mrs. Stromberg has but one 
brother, C. E. Johnson, who married Jennie 
Winsick and lives in Minnesota. Two chil- 
dren have been born to Mrs. and Mrs. 
Stromberg: Ernst Siegfrid, born May 30, 
1886; and Ebba Eredrica, born March 4, 
1891. 

After his marriage Mr. Stromberg left 
the familiar home surroundings and settled 
in Greenview, where he engaged in house 
and carriage painting until 1894. He then 
came to Iowa and bought the two hundred 
acres of land upon which he now lives, and 
on which is located the cemetery and the 
school house. At the time of purchase his 
property was somewhat improved. Mr. 
Stromberg is a breeder of fine stock and red 



73Q 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



polled cattle, in addition to carrying- on an 
extensive general farming enterprise. lie 
is a Republican in political affiliation, and 
among the offices creditably sustained by 
him may be mentioned that of township trus- 
tee and school director. He is fraternally 
associated with the Masons, and is a mem- 
ber of the Swedish Lutheran church. 



FRED PUTZKE. 



Fred Putzke, formerly one of the ener- 
getic and successful farmers living on sec- 
tion 8, Dayton township, but now a resident 
of Humboldt, North Dakota, was torn in 
Germany, June 27, 1839, of parents who 
also were natives of the fatherland, but who 
never sought the opportunities existing in 
America. Of the children born into this typ- 
ical German household Fred and August 
only are living, William, the oldest, having 
died during the war in a German hospital, 
while Herman, the second son, died in his 
native land at the age of twenty-two. 

On his father's farm Fred Putzke was 
reared to a knowledge of agriculture, and 
his education was acquired in the district 
schools. He was an ambitious lad, and while 
still quite young began to dream of broader 
fields and more reachable chances. It was 
therefore not surprising that in 1863 he 
came to the United States, and after locat- 
ing in Wisconsin, worked out on different 
farms for a couple of years. In 1865 he 
sought a wife and helpmate in Wilhelmina 
Petznick, who was born in Germany, March 
13, 1840, and came to America in 1865 with 
other members of her family. Her parents 
joined the children in the United States in 
1868, and after living for a couple of years 
in Wisconsin removed to the vicinity of 



Grafton, Iowa, where the mother died in 
[88o, the father surviving her until [884. 
Besides Mrs. Putzke, who is the third old- 
est in the family, there were the following 
children : Louisa, who lives in Montrose, 
South Dakota, and is the wife of August 
Meyer; Augusta, who is a resident of Burn- 
side township and is the wife of Christian 
Drager; Fred, who married Henrietta 
Budke, and lives in Charter City, Iowa; and 
William, who married Louise Felt, and lives 
in Grafton. Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs. Putzke 
have been born the following children : 
William, a resident of South Dakota, mar- 
ried Johanna Meyer, and has four children; 
Louise, also a resident of South Dakota, 
married August Borke, and has two daugh- 
ters ; Herman, a farmer lives on his father's 
farm; Emma, also living on the home place, 
is the wife of William Snyder, and has two 
children; Frank, a farmer, is not married; 
Ellen, living in South Dakota, is the wife of 
Amel Borke; Halena and Otto are living at 
home. The children have enjoyed all of 
the advantages which their parents have 
been in a position to give them, and are well 
educated and capable of caring for them- 
selves. 

After his marriage Mr. Putzke rented 
land in Wisconsin for three years, and then 
removed to the vicinity of Fort Dodge, Iowa, 
where lie rented another farm. In 1873 he 
located on section 8, Dayton township, pay- 
ing fourteen hundred dollars for his land. 
To this he later added until he owned two 
hundred and forty acres in the home place, 
and had, besides, a farm of four hundred and 
twenty acres in a different part of the state. 
The property of Mr. Putzke was well culti- 
vated and utilized to the best possible ad- 
vantage, general farming and stock-raising 
being carried on with successful results. 
Mr. Putzke is a Republican in national poli- 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



73' 



tics, and has intelligentl) served his town- 
ship as trustee and road supervisor, lie is 
well known and highly esteemed, and has the 
confidence of the entire community. 



J. M. GUTHRIE. 



J. M. Guthrie, who has been closely as- 
sociated with the fanning interests of Web- 
ster county for many years and is very suc- 
cessful in his business affairs, was born in 
Ashland county, Ohio, March 13, 1847. 
and is of Irish lineage. His father, Rich- 
ard Guthrie, was also born in the Buckeye 
state, and his mother's birth occurred in 
Ashland county. They were married in 
Ohio and the father died there in 1852. 
The following year his widow' became the 
wife of Adam Steinhouer, a native of Ger- 
many, and in 1854 they came to Iowa. 
After two years passed in Johnson county, 
Iowa, they removed to Tama county, where 
the husband followed farming for twenty 
years. He afterward removed to Boone 
county, but when three years had passed 
returned to Tama county, where he pur- 
chased land, which he cultivated until bis 
death, in 1S77. The family afterward re- 
moved westward and the mother died in 
Omaha, Nebraska, in 1887. By her first 
marriage she had three children : Margaret, 
the wife of Orrin Holbrook, who resides 
near Sioux City, Iowa; J. M., of this re- 
view : and Mary, the deceased wife of M. 
Corrington, of Tama, Iowa. By the sec- 
ond marriage of the mother there were 
eight children, of whom three are living: 
Melvina, the wife of J. Hanson, of Des 
Moines, [owa; Emma, the wife of William 
Howell, of Council Bluffs. Iowa; and 
Maria, the wife of George B. Scott, of 
Omaha, Nebraska. 



Mr. Guthrie of this review attended 
school to a limited extent in Iowa City and 
spent "lie year as a student in Tama, but 
lii-* educational privileges were meager and 
his knowledge has been mostly acquired in 
the school of experience. At the age of 
seven years he l>egan earning his own living 
and has since been dependent upon his own 
exertions, so that he may well be called a 
self-made man. lie worked at herding cat- 
tle for a year and afterward worked for 
his board and clothing for three years. He 
then began working by the month as a farm 
hand at a salary of six dollars per month, 
the second year was given seven dollars and 
a half per month, and the third year, remain- 
ing in the service of the same employer, 
was paid nine dollars. During the second 
year he saved enough to buy a horse, sad- 
dle and bridle. The next year be engaged 
in cutting timber. He was then seventeen 
years of age. 

In the spring of 1864, when eighteen 
years of age, be enlisted in Company I!. 
Twenty-fourth Iowa Infantry, at Iowa City, 
and with his regiment was ordered to New 
( Irleans under General A. J. Smith, where 
he was on skirmish duty. Later he was 
ordered to Cedar Creek, but did not take 
part in the battle of that place, for he had 
become ill and was left in the hospital at 
Xew Orleans. In April, 1805. he rejoined 
his regiment at Goldsboro, North Carolina, 
and from there went to Savannah. Georgia, 
thence to Augusta and again to Savannah 
in July, 1865. arriving home the following 
month. 

Mr. Guthrie afterward worked as a 
farm hand by the month until 1868, when 
he was married, in Hardin county, in the 
month of November, to Lucinda E. Her- 
ringtonj who was born in Cedar county, 
Iowa, October 11, 1851. Six children have 



732 



THE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



been born to them : Mary, who died at the 
age of four years; Anna, who died at the 
age. of three years; Carrie L., the wife of 
Grant Bass, who resides on a farm in this 
county, and by whom she has two children, 
Halsey and Sylvia; William M., a farmer 
of Webster township, who married Lizzie 
Brooks, by whom he has one child, Velva ; 
James Garfield and Grade, at home. 

After his marriage Mr. Guthrie re- 
moved to Hardin county, but after a short 
period returned to Tama county, where he 
cultivated rented land for about five years 
and then purchased forty acres. Selling 
that he came to Webster county, where he 
engaged in teaming for a year. He then 
rented a farm, which he operated six years, 
on the expiration of which period he bought 
thirty-seven acres on section i6, Yell town- 



ship. He has since been very successful 
and has purchased an additional tract of 
twenty-three acres on section 16, and one 
hundred and sixty-two acres on section 21, 
Yell township, and twenty-six acres on sec- 
tion 21, Webster township. When he took 
possession of his farm the land was raw, 
but his labors have transformed it into rich 
and arable fields and the many improve- 
ments which he has added have made his 
place a valuable and desirable farm prop- 
erty. He has good barns, cattle sheds and 
all modern equipments and buys and feeds 
cattle for the market. In addition to con- 
ducting his business affairs in a prosperous 
manner he has rendered valuable aid to his 
fellow townsmen in the office of trustee for 
nine years. In politics he is a Republican 
and he attends the United Brethren church. 




